Simply Switched On

Media Connect

Media Connect is Virgin Media Ireland’s new wholesale division – opening its broadband network to retail partners for the first time. This created a unique challenge: as well as serving its sister brand Virgin Media retail, it also serves competitors Sky, Vodafone, and Digiweb.

The new brand needed to establish its independence and trust with all partners. All while harnessing the performance credibility associated with the Virgin Media network. Looking to create an effective brand solution, the team called in TOTEM.

Change doesn’t come without challenges. As Media Connect became a network provider to broadband retailers, internally, team members – who had tremendous pride in representing that powerful brand – could have potentially resisted change. It was mission critical that the team deliver equally for all retail partners – to the high level they were proud of.

Simplify

TOTEM engaged with the stakeholders to develop a strategic foundation that acknowledged this heritage. Building the operating principles on Virgin Media’s core values – Bold, Straight Up, and Together – we created continuity and clarity to help our people transition. While we established a distinct character and voice for Media Connect, every element builds on the proud culture of enterprise and service in the parent company.

Engaging with customers, our research identified strengths. Positive perceptions of the network and performance. And strong customer ratings for service delivery. ‘People it's easy to connect with’ – the new positioning – emphasises what makes the Media Connect team special: commitment to service at pace, reliability, and relationships. Focusing on people rather than technology helps humanise the transition for both the people that works with us and retail partners.

Create

The tagline distils the positioning, contrasts with competitors, and is a promise to retail partners and their customers… ‘Simply Switched On’. Communicating both capability and approachability.

The brand identity establishes differentiation while maintaining subtle connection to the parent brand. The logo references the infinity loop, while suggesting connections between people – reflecting the brand purpose… ‘Building connections that really matter to people, partners and communities.’ While a shift away from Virgin’s red creates distinction, helping both our people and customers mentally separate the brands.

Flowing line illustrations – people using connected devices – reinforce the ‘Simply switched on’ tagline.

Empower

TOTEM took a direct storytelling approach to craft a clear narrative for the brand and articulated the business strategy clearly to the internal audience.

A brand identity guide includes a brand voice guide, with before-and-after communication examples showing how the new tone differs from Virgin Media's consumer-brand approach to reinforce the distinction between both.

Bespoke photography, a dynamic new website, templates for presentations, documents and vehicle livery create consistent communication across channels. The new branding has become a key symbol of transition – giving field technicians a clear identity when meeting customers.

Result

The response has exceeded expectations. Despite initial concerns and any potential resistance, team members embraced their new identity with enthusiasm. Field technicians – who had spent years on the frontline in red Virgin Media vans – responded with positivity.

Commercial Director Niamh believes the approach was key to this success: ‘When we met with the field operations team, I thought we would have experienced some sort of resistance. Instead, they immediately understood the new narrative. It wasn’t just a name change – it gave them clarity about their role. It was like taking them out of a grey area and giving them an identity relevant to the new wholesale business.’

Media Connect tell us the brand has delivered clarity for people navigating their new roles. Potential confusion has become strength, with team members confident in drawing boundaries.

For retail partners, the new brand establishes Media Connect as credible and independent while benefiting from association with Virgin Media’s technical excellence.

The brand has created clarity both internally and externally. Our team members have an identity they can rally behind, and partners see us as an independent entity they can trust. What’s most satisfying is seeing how quickly everyone embraced it – proving that when you get the strategy right, people just get it. This wasn’t about imposing something new – it was about TOTEM bringing our existing strengths into sharp focus.

Niamh Grier, Commercial Wholesale Director, Media Connect

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