Three charters a provocative Brexit bus to warn of potential roaming fee return
It has become a trope in UK marketing to print a message on the side of a bus and send it through Westminster to leverage the memorability of the infamous Brexit bus which lied to the British public about EU funding.
Three pilots a Brexit bus to warn of potential roaming fee return
Three is doing so to inform customers that it will foot the bill for £187m worth of roaming charges if the nation does indeed leave the European Union. The £187m figure is what the carrier believes it saved its customers with free roaming in 2018 - which could be under threat if the UK leaves the EU.
Following the rejection of prime minister Theresa May’s renewed deal, the mobile carrier paid homage to the Brexit bus (Wednesday 13 March). It sent a white bus London's political centre carrying the following message: “Deal or no deal, our customers will save £187 million in roaming charges. Vote Three”.
Fintech startup Monese, Channel 4 and Greenpeace have all previously chartered Brexit buses around Westminster in a nod to the infamous lie: “We send the EU £350m a month, let’s fund our NHS instead”.
The UK is set to drop out of the European Union 29 March if a deal cannot be reached. Before EU legislation implemented in 2017, mobile carriers could apply steep roaming charges to travelling customers, Three led the way in dropping these charges back in 2013 and made it a core of its marketing message. The stunt looks to outline that Go Roam customers can use their devices in 70 nations without any additional fees.
Dave Dyson, Three chief executive, said: “Three is the global leader in international roaming and now offers roaming at no extra cost for its customers in over 70 destinations including Brazil, Singapore, the US and Australia. We’re committed to eradicating excessive roaming charges and will retain this great customer benefit regardless of Brexit negotiations allowing our customers to continue using their usual allowances when they travel within the EU.”