M1 touts new brand promise and big campaign push following logo change

Two months after launching its new brand logo, telco M1 has now unveiled a refreshed brand identity, which is supported by a full campaign and touts digital transformation as at the heart of its initiatives. The new brand identity is said to mark the "rebirth of the telco with a reinvigorated goal" to become Singapore’s first digital network operator.

The telco has also revealed a new brand promise to be 'Made-to-Measure'.

M1 said it looks to reinforce its commitment to be a customer-centric company, delivering bespoke products that are tailored to meet the specific needs of its customers. As part of the brand refresh, M1 is also launching the "Be" campaign, which is an ode to seven unique Singaporeans who dared to embrace their individuality, following their own paths and passions. The campaign has been kickstarted with a minute-long video titled "Here's to you, being you". The video features "rocker grandma" Mary Ho, Teochew opera artiste Tan Wei Tian, doll collector Jian Yang, Singapore blade runner Shariff Abdullah, national cricket player Surendran Chandramohan, chinese calligrapher Malik Mazlan, and BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) movement founder Kate Yeo.

Rolling out in the next three months, the campaign showcases each individual’s distinctiveness and aims to demonstrate M1’s belief in empowering customers to be their best. A quick check on M1's website saw that the brand has created a microsite for the campaign featuring individual stories of the seven Singaporeans in the campaign. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information about the campaign.

Manjot Singh Mann, CEO of M1, said that the brand refresh is "by far the most significant in terms of both scale and potential". He added that M1 is doubling down on innovation and growth in its technology infrastructure to stay ahead in the digital landscape. "Our new brand and promise to deliver individualised experiences, coupled with our advanced digital capabilities, will keep M1 at the forefront of building Singapore’s digital economy while driving real value to our customers," Mann said. 

Digital transformation ambitions

As part of M1’s digital transformation, it is also revamping its digital experience across all consumer touchpoints. Enhancing its in store experience, the refreshed M1 Shop is said to offer an interactive store layout and in-store virtual ambassador named Megan, to engage walk-in customers and provide assistance with personalised recommendations.

M1 has also updated the app to make it more interactive. The new My M1+ app will allow customers to manage their plans, and enable them to self-serve with a few clicks. M1 will also provide customers with its data analytics, that will allow them to gain access to real-time insights to their bill and usage across device purchases, select relevant value-added services, and explore other lifestyle options. According to M1, the app is part of its broader plan to enhance the customer journey as a lifestyle app encompassing everything from mobile and entertainment services to daily needs.

M1's digital transformation is enabled by a new technology stack which it claims is able to integrate all aspects of its systems onto one digital platform. The new platform’s capabilities include cloud-native applications to improve business sustainability, data analytics which provides actionable insights, automation of customer-facing touchpoints for increased efficiency, as well as hyper-personalisation services to cater to specific customer needs. 

The brand transformation was a two-year long journey which saw M1 working closely with its key shareholder, Keppel Corporation, to digitally overhaul all M1’s processes and offerings. M1 is a key pillar of Keppel’s connectivity business and plays an important role in Keppel’s Vision 2030, which includes tapping M1’s digital solutions and 5G network to enhance the Group’s suite of solutions for sustainable urbanisation, a press release said. 

Logo change

Commenting on its new logo, M1 said its refreshed corporate colour symbolises that "the best time is here for M1", while the "M" in the new M1 logo represents its Made-to-Measure brand promise. M1's new logo garnered mixed reactions from netizens when it was first launched last month. While one netizen said it was aesthetically nice, a few others commented that the "M" looks disconnected and said it is "bad feng shui". Some also teased M1 if the disconnected "M" was meant to represent its network disruption, adding that they should work to fix its network first before focusing on the rebranding.  Some netizens also said the telco should have stuck to its former colour scheme. Unlike the old logo (pictured below left) which contains the colours orange, white and blue, the new logo (pictured below right) is mainly white and tangerine in colour with the letter "M". 

Shortly after M1 unveiled its new logo in December, the telco also got hit with a second Internet disruption in the same month. According to multiple news reports including Channel NewsAsia, this marked its fourth network disruption in 2020. Services were reportedly disrupted in different parts of Singapore, including Bukit Panjang, Tampines, Bishan, Sembawang, and Jurong. The issue has since been resolved.

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