Mobile firm doubles spend to broaden its customer base

Lebara Mobile, the low-cost national and international mobile service, is doubling its marketing spend to over £4m next year and is considering expanding its marketing department as part of a push to extend beyond its core ethnic migrant customer base.

The company launched in the UK a year ago and recently unveiled its first advertising campaign, developed by Naked Communications with Lebara’s internal creative team.

Lebara head of group marketing Jon Fawcett says the campaign is now entering its second phase, which aims to establish the company as a provider of low-cost calls both internationally and nationally.

He adds that it may have initially been known as a service for migrants, but is now extending its marketing to reach a broader range of people.

“In the UK we will be doubling our marketing spend in 2009 as we continue to significantly increase our customer base. And we would expect that the marketing team will also grow,” Fawcett says.

He adds that marketing activity will continue in the first quarter of next year, and will include press, outdoor and field marketing. In the second quarter it has “significant product enhancements planned”.

Lebara Mobile launched the first low-cost international mobile service in the Netherlands in 2004. This year the company claims that over 700,000 customers have joined in seven countries: the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden and the UK.