I started using O2 service since I came to UK in 2004, the reason that I had chosen O2 was because it was the sponsor of Arsenal football team. 5 years later, after having enough time of weak signal in London and poor customer service (refused to send me a PAC number unless I could post a request letter to them, which I did, but I never received my PAC number), I decided to compare online mobile offers to get a new number, either Pay As You Go (top-up) or Monthly Contract.

Soon I made my decision to choose PAYG rather than monthly contract because I don’t really need a new mobile to replace my blackberry. I searched three major mobile service providers for free sim card, which were Vodafone, Orange and O2, (yeah, damn, I still couldn’t forget O2) and here were the results. Guess which service did I finally pick?

Vodafone Free Sim Online Campaign

Orange Free Sim Online Campaign

O2 Free Sim Online Campaign

- Be attractive

Well, as you can see, O2 online campaign is quite distinct from Vodafone and Orange. My first impressions of Vodafone and Orange free sim card page were, “ohh, yet another typical user data capture campaign, anyway, the sim card is free and I can see some benefits listing there.” I was ready to apply for vodafone free sim card until I saw O2’s campaign.

It was shocking for me to see O2 actually had 6 options for you to choose, how smart! I prefer the first option because I use internet and test message more than talking on the phone. But I know there are people out there would rather talk on the phone. Check out 4th option which will give you benefits for international calls, this is absolutely brilliant, they are not just thinking about natives, but also considering about foreigners. O2 free sim campaign completely won at first stage, as it was more attractive and hence I would be able to make my decision more wisely based on different options.

- Be creative

In case if you haven’t noticed, O2 offers top-up surprises. Each time you top-up, you will receive  a code to play top up surprises game.

You will have 3 chances to hook 3 toy ducks up, every duck has a surprise for you, from unlimited text for 3 days to Xbox 360. You are going to choose one surprise out of three, the chance to win something big is plenty, and it’s really easy to get addicted to this game (more top-ups).

- Be easy-to-use

I used to have PAYG quite a few years ago, I had to call to activate sim and even to set up some security pin number. What a pain! Now, O2 sim can be activated either on the phone or on O2 website, and no need to set up pin number any more. (yeah!) All the benefits are easy to apply as well, simply send few free text messages to O2, and they will be done automatically.

- Be fast

I received my package only two days after I registered for free sim cards, it means they do care about whether shipping is fast enough no matter the products they sending out may not generate cash. Think about this, if I have to wait for two weeks to get my sim shipped, I will be more likely to switch to another service, as I am desperate to use the phone.

- But NOT too fast

What? You just said “be fast”! Yeah I did, and it meant to be fast shipment. Here I would like to point out “NOT too fast” to acquire users data. Let customer register your free sim and start paying for the service are the ultimate goals, but don’t show the purpose of data capturing too fast. As people understand internet much more than ever before, customers will be more likely to leave the page if what they see is a form to fill in. Be attractive first, make them want to get your offers, not just put a form in front of their faces to let them write down their e-mail addresses, customers are smart!

- Be flexible

There is nothing more annoying than to talk to mobile customer service, especially when you try to cancel your contract. They will do everything they can to stop you. PAYG is much more flexible than contract is because you don’t have to pay unless you make the phone call, and if you don’t want to use this number anymore, just don’t pay, plain and simple. The reason I was unhappy with O2 was customer service, even though the mobile signal was sometimes very weak (like when I was near London Bridge Station), but I understand it could happen with any other service too. With PAYG, I am totally flexible and I don’t have to deal with customer service, which means I am staying if service is good, I am leaving if service sucks.

Now you probably know the answer already, I am still with O2 service, though I am done with their customer service.

This is what I learnt from O2 free mobile sim campaign, what’s your thought? I would love to hear different voices from you, please do not hesitate to tell me what you think.

Related posts:

1. Yet Another Great Free Online Survey Tool
2. Top Internet Marketing blogs that are priceless for you
3. Open Site Explorer – FREE Backlink Analysis Tool by SEOmoz
4. Google is moving out of China?
5. How much money did you waste on Google Adwords