O2: Like New

O2's highly successful Switch Up proposition needed to be relaunched for their refurbished phones. 'Like New' phones were created to transform potential tech waste into profit, providing customers with the latest tech at a reduced price, while still doing their bit for the planet by reducing e-waste. In the initial stages the campaign used customer segmentation data to help identify which benefits were most likely to drive engagement and action for each customer - it turned out sustainability was a driver for just 10% of those who chose refurbished over new.

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O2 Shop – Like New website2

Like New was also created to challenge perceptions and turn consideration into purchase by dramatising the emotive benefits of owning a Like New phone, which was in direct contrast to the usual 'trading' approach. O2 briefed me to create an ownable identity for Like New, visually separating it from regular O2 handset communications, whilst remaining loyal to the strict brand guidelines. For the launch we repositioned the second-hand phones with a campaign that appears like a premium new phone launch using bold typography, design and motion to create a striking new look.

"Like New feels like..." was created as a way to convey different messaging to the customer, dramatising the emotive benefits and tackling barriers like quality and lifespan head-on. This tag-line worked equally well in awareness-driving emails and MMS as it did in targeted messages within customers’ MyO2 apps.

O2's previous refurbished phones page received approximately 1,000 visitors a day, but on Like New launch day there was a 5,000% increase with 51,000 potential customers visited. More than two-thirds (67%) of O2 customers said they were now aware that they could buy refurbished phones from O2 (vs 55% pre-relaunch). Weekly sales of Like New phones increased by 21% during the campaign, generating an estimated revenue of £1.1m in just five weeks. Customers saved an estimated £180,000 between them thanks to the savings on offer from choosing a Like New phone over a new phone.

Copyright © 2026 Stephanie Bryan-Kinns. All rights reserved.

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