Championing 'small' with a telco giant

Vodafone Business wanted to be perceived as the true digital champion of UK small businesses. So we created a reality makeover series to prove to SME owners that free digital skills support from The Nation’s Network could transform their business fast.

The struggle to connect with SMEs

Vodafone Business challenged us to help win the hearts and minds of the nation’s small business owners ahead of higher spending rivals. They already offered a free digital skills support service V-Hub, but awareness was low and uptake limited. Our insights revealed the biggest barrier to learning was pressure on time. So our strategy was to prove to time-poor small business owners that V-Hub could help real businesses like theirs solve real everyday BAU tasks fast. Our idea was Digital SOS, a reality makeover series which challenged struggling SME owners to digitise in a day – with help from Vodafone’s V-Hub experts.

A credible champion for SMEs

To make an authentic connection, our campaign and series needed a credible partner and presenter who was both a respected small business champion and digital evangelist. So, we teamed up with entrepreneur, investor and TV personality Steven Bartlett. It was equally important to hero real business owners facing real jeopardy. Like Amelia whose inclusive gym was facing closure if she couldn’t increase memberships; or Joe who was losing sleep over the threat cyber criminals posed to his juice business; or the D.A.Y. sisters, Disha, Apee and Yukti, whose Peckham fashion boutique needed an e-commerce makeover. We delivered the first episode from conception to creation in just 6 weeks with a full suite of integrated social and digital assets.

Delivering real impact

Digital SOS, Vodafone Business’s biggest campaign to date, is built on the true stars of the show: our small business owner protagonists. Their stories – highs, lows, warts and all – showcase the redemptive power of digital skills to make meaningful difference. And, crucially, they show how The Nation’s Network for business tangibly turns SME ambitions into a reality. The impact of the campaign was huge, driving a 16% increase in brand consideration, 240,000 visits to V-Hub and earning 87 press stories. The first episode alone delivered more than 15 million social impressions, 164k clicks and 264 responses to Steven Bartlett’s post, including many from small business owners inspired by the film.