Cegetel
1996
To win customers from France Telecom
When French telecommunications began to open to competition in the late 90s, few companies could mount a genuine challenge to France Telecom. Cegetel was created to do just that and drew on the strength and experience of major players in the US and British telecommunications markets, as well as a leading French corporation. The challenge was to win customers from France Telecom, the national provider, and to make Cegetel compellingly visible at a time when newspaper headlines were full of France Telecom’s privatisation.
The symbol tells a story
Wolff Olins advised that Cegetel’s brand personality should be warm and friendly, contrasting with the stuffy, civil service style of France Telecom. It should be perceived as a modern business, as opposed to a static bureaucracy. Cegetel’s agreement with this principle made the creation of a meaningful identity an exhilarating, collaborative process. The little Cegetel figure expresses confidence, imagination and a new way of delivering telecommunications.
A major competitor
With all systems delivering on this promise, Cegetel’s initial performance was excellent. It succeeded in introducing a radically new idea and style of customer-centred service to the French telecommunications market. Between 1999 and 2007 Cegetel’s turnover increased from €335 million to over €3 billion. In 2005, following the completion of the merger between Neuf Telecom (formerly known as LDCOM) and Cegetel, the company was renamed Neuf Cegetel.
