3 uses Skype offer to push services in new ad campaign

Mobile broadband provider 3 is leveraging its mobile Skype offering in a new advertising campaign which will launch early next month.

The campaign, which will air on TV as well as on radio and online, is aimed primarly at highlighting 3's Skype service, which it announced last week. 3 is the first and so far the only mobile broadband provider to offer users Skype on its networks without any other commitment to the company; meaning that when the service launches on May 1, for the price of a 3 SIM users will be able to make free Skype-to-Skype calls, even though this service is in direct competition with 3's own voice revenues. 3 is hoping to use this unique selling point to bring new users to its networks.

The company is  also reported to be planning to use the adverts to "highlight 3's customer-focused approach", using an actor who is also a real-life 3 customer. Some 3 customers may be surprised to learn that 3 has a customer focused approach, as Broadband Genie gets many more complaints about its mobile broadband product than any other, and 3 generally has a far-from-ideal service reputation.

However, that's something the company is looking to address, and as 3's head of internet services David Kerrigan commented at the Gadget Show Live earlier this month, the fact that there are more complaints about 3's service than any other could just be as a result of the fact that it has more customers. "We want people to associate us with value, with performance, with simplicity – to be customer champions across the board. It's a big statement, but we've got a lot of people dedicated to achieving that," he said.

3's mobile broadband products can be viewed here.