Press Release | 01 Aug 2023

Vodafone celebrates London’s Best Network Award with showstopping OOH wrap of Marble Arch

The advertising on Marble Arch helps support English Heritage's conservation of the central London landmark.

  • Vodafone’s network awarded accolade by respected European testing agency NET CHECK.
  • Vodafone becomes first brand to take OOH spot on new Marble Arch advertising sleeve.
  • Advertising activation launched in partnership with Ocean Outdoor, with the revenue supporting English Heritage’s conservation of Marble Arch.

Vodafone’s network has been awarded London’s Best Network by European network testing agency NET CHECK. In a London-first, and to celebrate the accolade, Vodafone is the first brand to advertise on a purpose-built sleeve covering Marble Arch while an extensive conservation project is underway to conserve the iconic London landmark.

The OOH (‘Out of Home’) activation runs throughout August 2023. It has been sympathetically created, designed to be in keeping with the iconic landmark and surrounding area, while conservation charity English Heritage undertakes work on the almost 200-year-old marble monument.

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For the four weeks it’s live, the six arches and four panels of Marble Arch will be transformed with hoarding featuring Vodafone’s distinctive red branding. The prime location of the monument means the activation can be seen by traffic and pedestrians on both sides of the intersection overlooking Hyde Park.

Outdoor media owner, Ocean Outdoor, is managing the display and Vodafone is the first brand to advertise in the space, which is running for a limited time only. Revenue from the advertising opportunity will be going towards the important conservation project.

To secure the coveted title of London’s Best Network from NET CHECK, Vodafone’s network was tested in a range of categories including network speed, capacity, and quality of connection across Greater London. NET CHECK revealed that Vodafone ranked first, ahead of other UK mobile providers in both voice and data tests across London.

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Maria Koutsoudakis, Vodafone’s UK Head of Brand, said: “We are incredibly excited to be the first brand to take an OOH spot on the new Marble Arch advertising sleeve to recognise our reliable, award-winning network being named best in London. This unique opportunity at Marble Arch is the perfect way to celebrate, allowing us to give back to London by playing a part in supporting the conservation of one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.”

Ocean Outdoor UK CEO, Phil Hall, said: “This has been one of the most ambitious installations Ocean has ever undertaken and to get it right required a monumental collaboration from all the partners involved. Ocean is privileged to be able to offer this unique advertising opportunity and I can’t think of a better launch partner than Vodafone to mark its best in London award.”

Following the activation at Marble Arch, Vodafone will also be running a co-branded national network campaign with YouTube Shorts, across August and September, to continue celebrating the London’s Best Network win. On Vodafone’s reliable, award-winning network*, customers can stream and enjoy YouTube Shorts from wherever they are in London.

The recently proposed merger with Three UK would create a merged company with the scale to deliver 5G Standalone for more than 99% of the UK’s populated areas by 2034, delivered through an £11 billion investment in the network over the next decade.

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-Ends-

Notes to Editors

About Vodafone network

*Reliable, award-winning network: The UK relies on Vodafone as a network provider as it: i) powers critical national infrastructure and 77% of emergency services, ii) has coverage in 99% of UK homes, iii) covers 96% of the UK and iv) has won numerous awards. See full details and awards on our Network page.

London’s Best Network

London’s Best Network: Based on the NET CHECK 2023 Benchmark measurement report of mobile networks in Greater London. Tested with latest commercially available equipment, on drive and walk tests, on four mobile networks, from April – May 2023. The NET CHECK trademark is used under license and with permission. Details of the test.

About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.

Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.

For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.

Vodafone UK Media Relations

Telephone: +44 (0) 1635 693 693

Email: ukmediarelations@vodafone.com

Twitter: @VodafoneUKNews

Website: https://vodafone.co.uk/newscentre/

Vodafone Limited

Registered Office: Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2FN

Registered in England No: 1471587