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

Vodafone’s network has been awarded Best in London 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 whilst an extensive conservation project is underway to conserve the iconic London landmark.

The OOH activation, which went live yesterday and runs throughout August, has been sympathetically created and designed to be in keeping with the iconic landmark and surrounding area, whilst conservation charity English Heritage undertakes work on the almost 200-year-old marble monument. 

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, whilst 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 Best in London from NET CHECK, Vodafone’s network was tested on a range of categories including, network speed, capacity, and quality of connection across Greater London with NET CHECK revealing that it ranked first, ahead of other UK mobile providers in both voice and data tests across London.

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 Best in London 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.

*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 the Network page: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/network