Introduction
Orange launched in April 1994
into the UK mobile communications market with a simple vision.
A vision for a brighter future, where people can communicate
wherever, whenever they wish .
Today, that commitment remains the same. Orange is one of
the world's strongest and most recognized brands. For over
five years we have aimed to be the first for service, quality,
innovation and choice.
For example, we were the first company to introduce per second
billing for our customers and to develop a videophone. We
are also constantly developing innovative wire freeT technology
and services - everything from football alerts to mobile email
- you can use at home, work or wherever you are.
History
Orange launched commercially
in April 1994. The enormity of the task facing Orange at launch
is difficult to appreciate today, given the current popularity
of mobile phones. Back in 1994, the mobile
phone UK market was a confusing place for customers.
Digital networks had just been introduced, but few people
understood the benefits. Complex tariffs and high prices made
cellular phones only attractive to business customers: users
had to sign-up to a three-year contract, with high monthly
rental fees, high call tariffs and with little flexibility
over the type of services on offer.
In April 1994, Orange entered the UK market as the last entrant
in a field of four, with an ambitious aim: to become the first
choice in wire freeT communications.
To achieve this, Orange began building a strong, fresh, clear
identity that set it apart from the clutter that characterized
a market littered with high-tech jargon and complicated pricing.
It was the start of a revolution. Orange innovations
like simple Talk Plans that offered real value for money,
per second billing, Caller ID, itemized billing free of charge,
and direct customer relationships changed people's attitudes
about mobile communications.
By the end of 1995 the Orange customer base had more than
doubled to 785,000, compared to 379,000 at the end of 1994.
In 1996, Orange plc underwent its first initial public offering
with the shares being listed on the London and NASDAQ markets
on 2 April 1996 . At flotation in London , Orange plc shares
were priced at 205 pence. Major shareholders at the time were
Hutchison Whampoa with 48% and British Aerospace with 22%.
With a valuation of £2.4 billion, Orange plc became
the youngest company to enter the FTSE-100.
In July 1997 the company reached its first milestone of 1
million customers. Orange plc was named the best performing
share in 1998, based on companies listed on the FTSE-100 throughout
the year
In June 1999 Orange won the Nat West/Sunday Times Business
Enterprise Award, which described Orange as "one of the outstanding
business success stories of the past few years" and the Orange
story as one of "courageous vision and commitment to
the long-running potential of mobile telecoms".
Orange began to expand internationally, with interests in
Austria , Belgium and Switzerland - the first steps towards
fulfilling an international presence. By the end of 1999,
Orange had also licensed its brand to operators in Hong Kong
, Australia , Israel and India .
In October 1999, Mannesmann
AG (the majority shareholder and the leading mobile operator in Germany
) announced the acquisition of Orange plc for 0.0965 Mannesmann shares
and £6.40 cash per Orange plc share. This valued the fully
diluted share capital of Orange plc at £19.8 billion. The
offer was completed in February 2000 and Orange was delisted from the
London and NASDAQ stock exchanges.
During this time, Mannesmann itself was bought by Vodafone,
a deal approved by the European Commission subject to an undertaking
from Vodafone to divest Orange plc.
In August 2000, France Telecom acquired Orange plc from Vodafone for a
total consideration of £25.1 billion. Orange plc's wire freeT
interests were merged with the majority of those of France Telecom to
form the new Orange SA group. On 13 February 2001 , Orange SA was
floated on the Euro Next Paris (formerly Paris Bourse) with a secondary
listing in London ; the share price was €10 per share in
France , £6.40 per share in London .
In May 2001, Orange SA was admitted to the CAC40, France 's top 40
companies ranked by market capitalization. Despite the changes in
ownership, Orange continued to concentrate on providing the best
service to customers. In June 2003, the sixth annual JD Powers and
Associates UK Mobile Customer Satisfaction Study ranked Orange UK as
number one telephone service provider for customer satisfaction in the
contract sector. Orange has ranked number one for contract customer
satisfaction every year since the study began in 1998.
The Orange brand now operates
in the United Kingdom , France , Switzerland , Romania , Slovakia , the
Netherlands , Thailand , the Ivory Coast , the Dominican Republic ,
Cameroon , Botswana and Madagascar . The Orange group also has
controlled operations in and a joint controlling interest in Egypt
(MobiNil). The Orange group also has minority interests in Portugal
(Optimus), Austria , (Connect Austria ), and Mumbai/India (BPL Mobile).
Orange SA is one of the world's leading communications companies, well
positioned for the future. To date, Orange group companies
have been awarded next generation (UMTS) licenses in the United Kingdom
, France , the Netherlands , Austria , Switzerland and Slovakia
Orange
brand - creation and launch
In 1994 Orange launched into an already crowded UK marketplace. We
needed to differentiate ourselves from the other three players in order
to succeed.
Before launch, a team of people from Orange (then called Hutchison
Microtel), corporate identity specialists Wolff Olin's, and advertising
agency WCRS set about creating the brand. The vision was to be the most
personal telecommunications company in the world, and to be honest and
open in dealing with customers and employees alike. The brand had to be
something that people would engage with on an emotional level as well
as delivering tangible benefits to them.
The team refined the core brand idea from four options - the manager,
the innovator, it's my life, and it's my friend. The result was 'it's
my phone' which combined the best elements from the four. Names were
brainstormed and the shortlist included Pecan, Gemini, Egg, Miro, and,
of course Orange . " Orange " was the name that best represented the
team's ideas, with its connotations of fun, optimism, liveliness and
freedom. Market research found that people thought the name was
distinctive and friendly, extrovert, modern and powerful. The name
Orange was then registered as a trademark.
With a name secured, logo development began. An orange square with
'orange' simply written in lowercase white lettering was the concept
that shone through. Simple and distinctive, it helped remove
associations with the fruit and supported the aims of being
straightforward and honest. By January 1994 advertising had been
developed and the full corporate identity for Orange was finalized soon
afterwards.
After extensive customer research into people's likes and dislikes of
their current providers, Orange defined its values that helped shape
the personality of the brand. These are honest, straightforward,
friendly, refreshing and dynamic. WCRS created the award winning launch
advertising campaign and our brand line 'the future's bright, the
future's Orange ' was born. The campaign deliberately avoided images of
mobile phones to show that Orange was about communication and customer
benefits, a more personal approach.
On 28 March 1994 , Hutchison Microtel's name was officially changed to
Orange . At the end of April a teaser campaign was launched in London,
posters with the simple words 'Laugh', 'Cry', 'Talk' and 'Listen' kept
people guessing about who and what Orange was. This was quickly
followed up by the main launch campaign to introduce Orange fully.
The Orange brand
broke the mould of the existing mobile companies. Orange challenged the
conventions of the industry, made things simpler to understand whilst
also creating new standards of service and services, such as Per Second
Billing, allowing customers to pay for exactly the air time used to the
nearest second. Prior to this mobile companies had charged by the
minute.
