BT is to start using a single strapline for both its consumer-facing and B2B brands.

The “Be There” strapline will appear on marketing for both aspects of its operations in an effort to drive better emotional engagement and brand trust.

Zaid Al-Qassab, Chief Brand & Marketing Officer at BT, wants this new coordinated approach to evoke memories of the famous Good to Talk campaign from the 1990s.

Speaking to the Drum, he said that was effective because it was “very purposeful and focused on the role communications plays in people’s lives”.

“In a way, this is going back to our heritage, but obviously in a much more modern way in a digital world.”

Mr Al-Qassab stressed that BT is keen to push the message that it is investing in the customer experience, as this is the key to having more success as a brand.

He also pointed out that the company will rely on multiple platforms to get through to its target audience, using the likes of Snapchat and Instagram alongside traditional channels such as television.

While Mr Al-Qassab refuted the suggestion that TV is “dead” as a marketing platform, he said BT does not want to rely on it completely.

“If you want to get broad reach of certain audiences then TV is the best way to do it,” he commented.

“However, we believe in going where our customers go and that means that in the modern world, brands need a patchwork of different media choices that enable them to bring their message to life.”

Mr Al-Qassab added that BT is one of the biggest spenders in out-of-home advertising and has operated across multiple platforms for several years.

BT’s CMO says it wants to harness emotion of ‘Good to Talk’ era in brand overhaul The Drum