Yesterday was "E-Day" at Telecom Eireann. It was the day when Telecom metamorphosed into Eircom and a new era started for the fledgling publicly-owned company. It has shed its semi-state status and is now out there swimming with the big boys of the telecommunications world. It was the biggest corporate identity change in the history of the State.
Its progress will be watched with great interest by the thousands of Irish shareholders who bought shares in the company when it was floated.
A budget of £6.5 million has been set aside to change the image of the company. About £800,000 of this is going into advertising and promotions. The rest will be spent on repainting vans and placing the new logo on vehicles and properties, etc. The new branding will be seen on some 1,600 Eircom vans and on 2,500 of the company's 4,500 public phone kiosks.
It was an exciting day in Eircom offices yesterday, with a palpable atmosphere of casting off old baggage and jumping confidently into a new competitive world. Staff were supplied with an `EDay' package to get into the mood of things. The package included a Eircom T-shirt, a watch, baseball cap, Eircom mug and a mouse mat. Mr Gerry O'Sullivan, director of group corporate relations, said: "We are calling it E-Day. We have been working for the past three or four months towards today. There is a strong sense of anticipation."
He said there was a "party atmosphere" in the early part of the day, with everyone in their "EDay" gear, but there was also an awareness of the seriousness of the event.
He said it was a significant and important day. It was the first day of the new identity. It was Telecom, after 15 years, changing into Eircom. "It is a major identity change." There were advertisements and promotions in newspapers and radio stations throughout the State. There was a blitz on the public to inform them - if they did not already know - about the major change.
Eircom's immediate priority is to move into the British market. It will shift its business from telephony to a broader range of communications services. The company sees the UK market as an extension of the Irish market.
The new logo, featuring an orange sphere - described as "terracotta" by the company - was developed by a Dublin-based company, The Identity Business.