BT recently unveiled a new look and strapline: BT Means Business. At launch, the company said this new brand platform has a “duality” that shows its customers that BT is a brand that both “stands for business and is serious about getting the job done”.
Alex Tempest, managing director at BT Wholesale, caught up with Comms Business to explain the motivations behind this campaign, and what this means for BT’s partners. She said, “We’ve just been through a pandemic where everything changed. It’s fair to say we live in a fast-changing world. The pace at which technology is shifting and changing, and continuing to disrupt our working lives and our personal lives, is constant.
“We wanted to make sure, when we looked at the brands that were serving each of our group markets, that they stayed relevant to those specific segments.
“Our BT Means Business brand is very firmly fixed on the B2B markets. And we are going to make sure that the BT brand is relevant to how you see your business environment changing as technology causes more disruption and creates more opportunity.”
Tempest explained that BT and its partners will look to simplify technology for businesses and organisations across the UK, so they can focus on their core business objectives instead of spending time getting their workplace technologies to work.
She said, “Take any small business as an example. That could be dog grooming, it could be hairdressing, it could be plumbing – any kind of small business. It is hard enough making your mark on the world, and building a successful business, without having to navigate all of the technology that you need to have to underpin your business.
“Ideally what you want to be able to do is look for a trusted partner who can provide you with a platform for communications and technology. That way, you can go and do what you are experts in doing. And you can trust that we will be able to deliver the technology your business needs.”
Standing side by side
Tempest pinpointed what this means for BT’s partners. She explained, “We’re bringing a brand launch to our partners with a campaign in BT Wholesale. This goes alongside all of the direct business campaigns that we’ve done and will backup that we really mean business in wholesale. Together, we mean business.”
Tempest added that the BT Means Business campaign can be translated for wholesale customers through BT and its partners “standing side by side”. She underlined, “Our partners mean business too.”
BT Wholesale’s partners, Tempest said, are a broad and diverse community. That starts with small, community-based partners, all the way through to carrier partners. BT means Business means that – no matter what size the end customer is – partners and their customers can expect the same experience.
Tempest added that BT Means Business emphasises that whenever a BT partner sells a solution, they can do it with “full confidence that it is underpinned by what I would consider to be the best technology”.
New commitments
BT recently unveiled a new Charter at the opening of its new Aurora customer innovation showcase at its global headquarters in London. The new facility spotlights BT’s latest research and development around enterprise solutions incorporating digital components like 5G, IoT, robotics, and AI.
In particular, the facility explores how those solutions can be applied across industries such as healthcare, manufacturing and smart cities.
Tempest explained, “The Charter is a new set of commitments from BT to provide enterprise customers with a springboard for growth.” Those commitments are a greater focus on innovation, world class cybersecurity, a new suite of digital services, customer service improvements and purpose-driven goals.
Making a mark
These commitments, Tempest said, are about “looking to the future”, helping partners prepare for the future, and “making it simple to do business with [BT]”.
She added, “This is critical because nobody wants to deal with complexity. We want technologies that [can deliver] an experience that is as simple and as seamless as it possibly can be.
“There are so many amazing businesses out there and, fundamentally, their mantra is to make the world a better place. If we can do our part in deliver[ing technology] in a simple way, they can focus on doing exactly that. They can make their mark on the world, underpinned by the things that we do.”