Astelit, Ukraine's third largest wireless carrier with about 13.8 million users, has started a rebranding to bring it closer to its parent company Turkcell, the owner of 100 percent of Astelit’s shares.
Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv on Jan. 19, company officials said the brand life:), under which the company has been operating in Ukraine since January 2005, would become lifecell, with the slogan “Connect the future.” The company’s new logo now resembles Turkcell’s, with blue and yellow primary colors.
One of the reasons for rebranding, according to lifecell CEO Burak Ersoy, is to show the company is adopting the best traits of its mother company.
“Life:) with its smiley will remain in our memory for a long time. But we’re all changing, and our clients are changing,” Ersoy said. “We want to help people connect to the future – connect to information. We will bring all the services that are available from Turkcell to Ukrainians.”
According to the head of Astelit’s marketing communication department, Anton Shcherbyna, the company has always positioned itself as an operator for young people. So another reason to change the brand is to reach out to a wider base of subscribers, attracting Turkcell clients, and making use of its parent’s corporate reputation, services, and experience.
“We’re enlarging our client base. We’re turning into the Ukrainian Turkcell,” Shcherbyna said. “This gives us new opportunities, international expertise, and knowledge to apply in Ukraine.”
All the same, lifecell has not yet announced any significant changes concerning its subscribers or detailed its new roaming strategy. For now, the company appears to have altered only its image, leaving intact the core of the business – including prices and payment plans.
“The prices in Ukraine are low, and we’re planning to leave them at the same level,” Ersoy said.
The company recently opened its first brand shop in Kyiv and launched a new website, lifecell.com.ua. Visitors to the old site are now automatically redirected there.
“Today we announce a new stage in the company’s development, and it starts with a rebranding,” a lifecell promotional video says.
Kyiv Post staff writer Denys Krasnikov can be reached at [email protected]. The Kyiv Post’s IT coverage is sponsored by Ciklum, Steltec Capital, 1World Online and SoftServe. The content is independent of the donors.
