The advent of mobile communications turned the century-old telecom industry on its ear, and nowhere was this up ending
more visibly felt than in marketing.
From the “we have it, you need it” arrogance of Cable & Wireless in the monopoly days, telecoms marketing has become
one of the most demanding and highly
specialized sectors. In the preceding three years (call it the Digicel era if you will),
there’s been tremendous activity both above and below the line, as the mobile market became a two and then three-horse race.
While no one will argue that different gaps separate the three, the prospective entrance of a fourth candidate is leaving no room for complacency.
AT&T Wireless, the new corporate child of CINGULAR Wireless, is set to begin operating in Jamaica shortly. Everyone figures they’re deep-pocketed
and that they’ll have a raft of new packages, but in a market as notoriously contrary as ours, will that be enough?
What kind of brand name is Cingular anyway, and, even assuming that they'll trade under another brand, what kind of legs will that brand have
vis-à-vis its competitors? Irish-based Mossel wisely adopted a trade name for its operations in Jamaica and although several in the industry had
strong reservations about the name Digicel, you can't argue with results.
Beyond its “party-hearty” image, the brand has been successfully pitched as an innovator in terms of both products and services
and as a proactive customer care provider (in its most recent quarterly independent survey of service providers, both inside and outside the
telecoms business, the company moved from number ten to number one). Digicel has unquestionably set a standard in terms of promotional
slickness and identifying with diverse target markets.
The MIPHONE brand has been no less aggressively promoted than Digicel, with the exception of their presence at events (there’s nothing
in MiPhone’s roster to match Bacchanal or Sumfest for visibility). But the service -while undoubtedly strong in terms of reception quality
- is as yet limited in reach (the CEO is promising islandwide coverage in a matter of months) and the brand is still essentially caught
in the undertow surrounding the parent company's change of ownership. This period will be the acid test for MiPhone. With a definable
personality and a stronger presence (perhaps beginning with a more definite commitment to a dominant colour), it can certainly be a contender.
Without them, it will likely succumb to Cingular’s superior resource base and better ability to sustain a price war.
The C&W Mobile brand appears to have expended the bulk of its creative energy in the “Switch On!” campaign and with the launch and the
attendant hoopla now a distant memory, the brand is in dire need of an overhaul. Try as it might, C& W is seen as old guard and all of its
attempts to “get hip” have unfortunately come across as pandering. C&W has also been hurt by recent missteps in respect of its promo campaigns.
The launch of a movie critique link in conjunction with the Gleaner was stymied, as the company had advertised the launch before formal approval
was secured from the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission, and a bigger flap emerged with its “Owna Fi Di Yard” BMW X5 giveaway.
Indeed, Cingular has significant commonalities with AT&T in terms of brand personalities. Beyond similar colour schemes (blue as the dominant colour),
both are intrinsically linked to the monopolistic past, and both have repeatedly come under pressure from more vibrant brands.
In order to really begin moving, the C&W mobile brand will have to conceptually slash the umbilical cord linking it to its parent, which, despite
the best  intentions, is generally perceived as a "geriatric" brand. The 'Baby Bells" in the US spent a lot of time and money establishing their own
identities and courting (whether directly or indirectly) a new generation of customers. Thus Bell Atlantic became NYNEX (celebrated in the hit rap
song by ex-Fugees members Wyclef and Pras).
C&W Mobile needs to give serious consideration to the same. Customers and prospects need to feel as if they're dealing with a new company in the
sense of vibrancy and responsiveness. The "Owna" tag invites the age-old connotations of complacency that the Mobile Division has been anxious to escape.
Undoubtedly, the mobile telecoms providers and their respective advertising consultants have a tough challenge ahead of them. The "old" precepts about brand recognition
positioning, having only recently been established are about to be flipped yet gain, but more far -reaching consequences, largely because there's more at stake.
|
