VIRGIN MEDIA O2

Partnering with O2 to nail their retail presence

Promotional Marketing | Experiential Marketing

The challenge

For a number of years, we have partnered with Virgin Media O2 to continually evolve and elevate their retail presence across the UK. Each year, they have challenged us to innovate and refine our approaches, to provide a year-long programme of support for their new and refurbished stores while also fostering connections with local communities and customers. Our brief for 2024 was to transition stores from franchise-owned to the main estate, supporting the reinvestment and maintaining the long-standing relationships with customers in these smaller locations.

“We hugely value our ongoing partnership with Virgin Media O2 and are thrilled to see exceptional year-on-year growth and evolution. Every year brings new challenges and new opportunities for creativity. We embrace them all.”

– Alex Humphreys, Junior Digital Marketing Manager, TCC

Our approach

Over the years, we’ve crafted—and continually refined—a bespoke strategy that combines local marketing with footfall driving. Building on, and learning from, years of success and learnings, the resulting 2024 campaign was a carefully curated mix of:

  • A launch kit to kickstart store openings with flair, welcoming staff into the main estate from franchise
  • Locally sourced hospitality for launch day to create a buzz and a dual promotion opportunity
  • Ongoing vendor support to keep the momentum going throughout the year, and to more equitably support the estate

Due to the smaller locations involved in 2024’s programme, it was crucial that we evolved our proposal to suit slightly more rural locations and their services. As the programme has evolved, so too has our approach to the re-opening strategy.

As well as supporting the company reinvestment, one of our aims was to reinforce the relationships between each store team and the local customers and communities they serve. We partnered with over 47 local businesses in 9 months to provide handmade treats on launch days, from fudge to pick-n-mix, utilising local businesses to provide a little something extra to customers.

The result

Our digital campaigns weren’t just successful—they were record-breaking. Here’s what we achieved in 2024:

  • PPC campaigns smashed expectations with a 17.94% click-through rate and a 29.74% conversion rate
  • Hyperlocal campaigns surpassed industry benchmarks with a 0.70% click-through rate
  • The stores involved in the programme, despite making up only 7% of Virgin Media O2’s estate, accounted for 28% of store visits during digital support campaigns

Looking to the future

For 2025, we have been briefed to provide a bespoke marketing strategy which involves a variety of store and location tiers. Our strategy will involve:

  • Further refinement of our sales support strategies
  • Expansion of our digital support throughout the year
  • Refreshing our messaging to align even more closely with Virgin Media O2’s brand voice

Watch this space for our 2025 plan, which promises to generate excellent results, reflecting the culmination of years of experience and innovation in retail strategy.

Through our enduring partnership with Virgin Media O2’s New Store Programme, we’ve done more than update their retail presence—we’ve transformed it entirely. By seamlessly blending advanced digital innovations with personalised service, and maintaining a steady pace of innovation, we’ve established a model for lasting retail excellence in today’s digital landscape.

If you’re ready to transform your retail presence, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

More like this

Immersive experiences campaign marketing by TCC
Copyright ©2025 - TC Communications Ltd. All rights reserved