European hat-trick for TOTEM

Waterford and Cork based branding agency TOTEM has won Silver at the Transform Awards Europe 2026 for its branding of Media Connect, Virgin Media Ireland’s new wholesale fibre business unit.

For the 3rd year in a row, TOTEM has won at these prestigious European branding awards, showing consistency at the highest level. Among 196 shortlisted projects from across Europe, only three are Irish-led, underlining the scale of TOTEM’s achievement.

In 2023, Virgin Media Ireland began a bold strategic move - to open its broadband network to wholesale partners, including competitors Sky and Vodafone. This required developing a new brand within their portfolio that could credibly operate independently while leveraging Virgin Media’s infrastructure and strengths.
 
Media Connect had to do something delicate - stand on its own two feet as a neutral, trusted partner for competitors, while still drawing strength from the reliability and reputation of the Virgin Media network.
 
The operation has transformed the brand, CEO Aidan D’Arcy recognised; “There is now genuine acceptance and excitement about our new direction.”
 
TOTEM Founder and Creative Director Colin Byrne added, “For a specialist brand agency based in Dungarvan to take Silver on a European stage, up against some of the biggest names in the branding world, is a real David and Goliath moment for our team and for the south east.”