Total by Verizon on Thursday (July 11) rebranded to Total Wireless as part of an effort to better distinguish the carrier from other companies in the prepaid wireless market. Along with a name change, Total has a refreshed look and feel, including a new logo and color palette that features a proprietary shade of teal. The new identity, created by design firm Hugo Collective, will roll out across paid advertising and in-store elements.
The rebrand, like a recent effort by its parent company, is intended to help the carrier advertise an improved value proposition — including a five-year price guarantee and free 5G phones — focused on consumer pain points around price instability and network strength. The move comes as Verizon looks to bolster a Verizon Value portfolio that includes Total, Straight Talk, Visible and more by determining which customer segments and distribution channels are right for each brand.
“We need to rebrand this to show up in a way that is appealing to and helpful to the consumers and really shows what we stand for, which is speed, network and empowering these customers to fuel their days,” said Cheryl Gresham, chief marketing officer for Verizon Value.
For Total, meeting those needs meant making its offerings more appealing to consumers living in urban, walkable communities who make up its customer base. The new look prioritizes more color, vibrancy and energy across Total’s marketing.
“We want to make sure that we are showing up in a way that is familiar and additive to the customer’s lifestyle and the places they live work and play,” Gresham said. “This customer is the future of where our country is today and where it's going tomorrow.”
Total’s logo remains red, keeping the brand visually tied to its parent company, if no longer in name. Maintaining that connection allows Total to boast that its capabilities are provided by the Verizon network but establish a distinct identity under the Verizon umbrella.
The effort reflects company research that found 67% of customers thought Total was a plan offered by Verizon and not a separate carrier. Additionally, 43% thought Total could be purchased at a Verizon store or on Verizon.com.
“We wanted to show the customer that Total Wireless was its own brand, store and phone service that is powered and fueled by Verizon, and make sure that there was complete clarity and focus on this brand for this customer segment,” Gresham said.
A target audience for Total is the Hispanic market. The brand made its Super Bowl debut with a quirky Spanish-language ad that aired during the game’s Univision broadcast. Total has also run a soccer-themed “Text-to-Sign” campaign that turns SMS messages into real-life cardboard signs at major soccer events. Still, Gresham bristles at the limits of identity-based approaches like “multicultural marketing.”
“It’s interesting from a marketing perspective: We’re still using all these terms, but to our users and our customers, it’s just their normal day-to-day life. We want to make sure we show up in those ways that are familiar and entertaining to customers,” the executive said. “We are trying to build Total for what the category should be today and in the future, and not look and feel like what the category was in the past.”
