CLIENT
Telkomsel by.U
PROJECT
Creating the first digital telco for Gen-Z
DISCIPLINE
Brand Positioning, Corporate Identity, Brand Guidelines
As the leading mobile Telco in Indonesia with over 200 million subscribers, Telkomsel has long provided a range of high quality, trusted mobile products and plans to all Indonesian consumers, but due to various factors such as product perception, complexity and accessibility, its share of the 12-25 year-old market segment remained relatively weak.
With the regulatory environment in Indonesia opening Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), Telkomsel saw an opportunity to develop its own “digital attacker” brand targeting the youth population and based on the principles of convenience, flexibility, simplicity and value.
Bonsey was appointed to work with a specially-selected Telkomsel internal project team to develop, test and ultimately launch this ground-breaking challenger brand proposition.
Based on an extensive audit of the regional MVNO brand landscape and primary ethnographic and qualitative research with consumers, we identified the desire for more choice, personalization and self-expression as key drivers for young adults.
From this we developed our brand
promise of ‘Take Control, Create Your World’, which became the foundation for our naming and identity development. For the name we needed something that had resonance in both Indonesian and English and that encapsulated the ‘Build Your Own’ product proposition. We found it in the name by.U, which not only spoke to the personalization of the product, but was also derived from the Indonesian name ‘Bayu’ meaning wind and connoting freedom.
For the name we needed something that had resonance in both Indonesian and English and that encapsulated the ‘Build Your Own’ product proposition. We found it in the name by.U, which not only spoke to the personalization of the product, but was also derived from the Indonesian name ‘Bayu’ meaning wind and connoting freedom.
Armed with the by.U name, we went about delivering an extended identity system that would connect with our target audience, driven by a sense of fun, energy, humour and collectability at every step of the customer journey from sign-up to customization and activation.
by.U was officially launched in November 2019 as the first digital prepaid cellular service in Indonesia developed specifically for the Gen Z segment and designed to provide an end-to-end digital experience for all their telecommunications needs.
Edward Ying, Telkomsel’s Director of Planning & Transformation said, “by. U as the first digital prepaid cellular service in Indonesia is a real evidence of Telkomsel’s Transformation as the leading digital telco company, which prioritizes customer centricity in developing quality digital products and services for customers.” Subscriber numbers have been rising steadily as the service launches across Indonesia, but no subscription data is yet available for publishing.
