Winning hearts, minds and regulatory approval for the UK's mega mobile merger

An 18-month, multi-audience campaign to persuade the UK that Vodafone UK merging with Three UK will have positive outcomes for customers, country and competition – convincing sceptics of the transformational benefits of 5G Standalone and creating positive surround sound to support approval from the Competition and Markets Authority. One of the most highly contested transactions in many years that will impact 27 million customers, with no precedent for regulators to allow the number of operators to reduce from four to three. A transaction that required creativity and bravery, which could only be tackled with a campaigning mentality to what is traditionally a financial transaction. Our approach was simple – to win hearts and minds. We sought to bring to life the potential benefits of the deal – building a best-in-class 5G standalone network – for the UK, using a range of tactics and channels to convince key stakeholders that the merger is a critical step in releasing the handbrake on the future of the UK’s digital infrastructure and, by extension, fuelling economic growth and closing the digital divide. We used focused insights and compelling content to galvanise third-party advocates to help carry our message that the country needs 5G and this message resonated with the CMA, who recognised that the merger will “enhance the UK’s 5G capability while preserving effective competition in the sector.”