Case study: Lightning Fibre: Character, Identity, Engagement

Creating a memorable identity

A bespoke character-led campaign creates a memorable and relatable brand narrative for innovative regional broadband network and ISP Lightning Fibre

Background

Community-minded network operator and ISP Lightning Fibre is undertaking a major infrastructure upgrade in Eastbourne, Hastings, Hailsham and Heathfield.

The challenge

They needed a marketing strategy with a difference. How best, could this socially responsible organisation reach the families and businesses for whom its service has so much to offer?

Solution

Distinctive characters are fantastic for building strong brand associations as well as guiding users through an enjoyable and engaging digital experience.

Sandra_Staufer_illustrator
2024-06-21_16-12-13
Brighton Illustration
Brighton Illustrator
Character design
Brighton Illustrator
Illustrations for Lightning Fibre by Sandra Staufer. ©Lightning Fibre 2021

The background

Community-minded network operator and ISP Lightning Fibre is undertaking a major infrastructure upgrade in Eastbourne, Hastings, Hailsham and Heathfield. It is laying a brand new ‘full fibre’ broadband network which will eventually reach almost every home and business. Connecting its street cabinets directly to modems using fibre optic cables, its network promises to be both hyper-reliable and hyper-fast. With Lightning Fibre’s service, you can watch content in 4K, while everyone else in the house can also get online without a hitch.

The challenge

Unlike other internet service providers, Lightning Fibre does not use BT’s old phone lines with slow copper cable, instead it is installing its own 100% fibre broadband and offering great-value packages starting from 100Mbs upload and download. It also boasts a responsive, local customer service team based in East Sussex and has pledged to never increase its prices during a contract term. How best then, could this socially responsible organisation reach the families and businesses for whom its service has so much to offer? Having worked with me on the Brighton Chamber of Commerce website, Lightning Fibre’s marketing manager Rob Reaks asked me to create character designs to make his company’s online presence more personal.

The solution

Distinctive characters are fantastic for building strong brand associations as well as guiding users through an enjoyable and engaging digital experience. With this in mind, I created the Lightning Fibre family, starting with Freddy Fibre, a Lightning Fibre engineer and Barbara Broadband, mother and owner of a boutique bakery and including such similarly relatable characters as high school student Olivia Optic and single mum Isla Internet. Together with their family, they are helping ensure that Lightning Fibre speaks to its intended audience, showing them how it can meet their diverse digital needs and creating an appealing and informative brand narrative.

“We were impressed by Sandra's portfolio and her style fitted perfectly with our vision; we have carried out a complete brand refresh and now have a stock of versatile, original and distinctive marketing collateral. External feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Sandra took time to fully understand our requirements, project management has been seamless, Sandra's collaborative approach is great and we look forward to a long term creative partnership. ”

Rob Reaks, Marketing Manager, Lightning Fibre
Illustration

Test Trial for Lightning Fibre animation

Master_06

Lightning Fibre asked me to create an animated gif for their Twitter campaign (struck by 'Lightning Fibre' Lightning). Here is the (improved) finished article, animated by Peter Robert Smith.