Vodacom, having finally realised that colour can be a brand
identifier (did news of a competitor annexing the colour yellow
filter through?), is furiously trying to persuade us that red is
its colour. Pesky little competitor Cell C, which used to be red
but then decided to be black, has put out a number of ads that have
a little dig at this rather desperate looking rebrand. In the TV
ad, Vodacom is depicted as an old blue vehicle halfway through a
red paint job, whereas Cell C is a sleek little black number. Cell
C uses expressions like ‘But what’s actually under the
hood?’, and ‘It takes more than a lick of paint to be
SA’s number one network’. Cell C also makes claims of
great technological prowess, and of having been voted best mobile
broadband service provider for 2010. ‘Who’s the leader
now?’ it asks.
