Tele2 has become t2. Rebranding by different rules

Hello.

It is no secret that the Tele2 brand originally belonged to a Swedish company with the same name and the Russian operator used it under a licensing agreement. For several years, the press was buzzing about the name being about to be changed, but no rebranding took place, and it seemed that the operator’s name would remain forever. The company managed to extend the right to use the brand with the Swedes after the start of the SVO, and it could probably do it again. But it became too cramped within the framework of the previous brand. The rebranding work was underway, the company did not turn to outside sources, but used its own resources for this. Preparations for the transition to a new name lasted almost two years.

It is no secret that many of the operator’s employees and partners shorten the name to T2, the approach is exactly the same as that of other operators whose names can be painlessly shortened. MegaFon is informally called Mega, Beeline is called Bee by old habit, but MTS is not shortened in any way, since this abbreviation cannot be simplified any further. The Swedish roots of Tele2 forced the use of Latin in the name, it seemed that during the rebranding there would be a transition to the Russian spelling T2.

But the Latin roots have been preserved, and this distinguishes t2 from other operators in Russia, whose names were originally in Russian. The spelling T2/t2 is equivalent, and both can be used depending on the purpose of the communication. We understand that you can’t just force journalists to use small letters – Beeline won’t let you lie. Kotler would probably be outraged by this variability, but he wasn’t asked, and T2/t2 has different rules. In the t2 variant, we clearly see that it is Latin. The operator’s name is pronounced in Russian as “te dva”. In my opinion, the focus on Latin spelling arose not only as a brand continuity, which could be somewhat abandoned, but also as a utilitarian story. In search queries, this spelling looks better and can provide additional traffic. If you search the Internet for the spelling t2, you will not find a large number of different mentions, not a single one related to the topic of telecom.

It is interesting that the name Tele2 comes from the times when telecommunications were on top, but today companies are rebranding to show the availability of various services and opportunities, focusing on ecosystem offers and not quite standard moves, which could be expected from traditional mobile operators. The same Tele2 promotes the MiXX subscription, which in many ways complements tariffs or even replaces them in some form. The evolution of the operators’ business has happened before our eyes. Therefore, saying goodbye to the word “tele” will not be painful. But this is the only case when an operator changes its name in Russia, this has never happened before. The reason is the end of the license agreement at the end of 2024.

And here comes the question that is constantly asked about each operator: where will the millions, billions of rubles (underline as appropriate) be taken from to change the spelling of the operator’s name, a different visual style. The answer is obvious, but many do not like it – no additional costs are required to change the logo, the operator’s style. The t2 branded retail will gradually switch to the new style, the stores will be transformed in the remaining time, but this will not happen in one day. If we talk about advertising materials, visual design and the like, then all this will change now. The legal entity is not affected in any way, the operator remains LLC “T2 Mobile”. There is no need to conclude a new contract for communication services, everything remains the same. And if you use Tele2 services, then please do not respond to calls from scammers that in connection with the change in the operator’s name, you need to change your data, conclude a new contract. Nothing needs to be done, and If someone offers you something like this, they are scammers.

The previous rebranding of Tele2 implied a change in visual style, a new slogan “Different rules” appeared, all this happened in 2017. By telecom market standards, an eternity has passed since then, but Tele2 grew quite aggressively during these years and moved from fourth place in the number of subscribers to third, displacing Beeline.

It is interesting that the slogan “Different rules” is not being retired, now it is “Different rules. New level”. I like the expansion of the slogan, it is capacious and clear, it uses the successful marketing that worked in previous years. A kind of bridge from the past to the future. At the same time, there is no total change of course in the approach to products, marketing of services.

We have repeatedly discussed on the pages of the site and in social networks the question of how a name change will affect the perception of this or that operator. Most of the answers have always been reasonable – no way, unless the name is somehow offensive. I think that the name t2 will not cause negative emotions. As an example, we can recall the rebranding of Tinkoff Bank, which turned into the laconic T-bank.

There is a certain demand on the market today for simplification and shortening of company names, this is a reflection of the frantic pace of time. And here we can say that Tele2, having turned into T2, or, if you prefer, into t2, is completely in trend. There is no trace of copying the approach of Tinkoff Bank here, rather it is a general trend. And the name of the legal entity “T2 Mobile” was invented long before the Tinkoff operator was born.

There are plenty of fictions surrounding the rebranding of any company. We talked about one of them above (this name change will cost billions of billions!), but there will probably be others. It is extremely important to think about what exactly could be true and what is outright fiction. For example, we can say for sure that there will be no change in management, since the operator is developing successfully. Relations with the parent company Rostelecom or with partners will not change in any way. You remember that the legal entity remains exactly the same. Therefore, a name change is rather an opportunity to correct positioning, make it fresher and more in line with the spirit of the times.

I am often asked about the rebranding of operators, which has a hidden subtext: “Will such a rebranding be successful?” And I do not know how to answer such a question, since the parameters of success are unclear, what exactly the questioner puts into it. An increase in the subscriber base only due to a change in the logo and visual style? Unlikely. At some point, I found a good analogy: let’s compare rebranding with a renovation in an apartment. It seems that you can live in the old circumstances, but the renovation refreshes the apartment, gives new emotions and is definitely pleasant. This is the kind of update that Tele2’s rebranding can be considered. Criticism of the design is inevitable – after all, we have a designer in every house, and a rare aesthete does not give advice on colors or the angle of the font.

A few moments from t2 materials that can explain the idea of ​​the same logo, just a quote: “The logo symbolizes the innovative nature of the brand and embodies its stencil aesthetics: the central element of the identity – the letter t – is laconic, stable, at the same time simple and clear, it is perceived easily and confidently. The key element is the pink square – a pixel, a bit corresponds to the technological spirit of the brand.” I’m not sure that this will be important to you, but those who are engaged in design will appreciate this moment.