As consumer interest in cellular phones has increased, so has competition for new subscribers. Our program for Cellular One aimed to bolster its position as the leading cellular provider in the greater Bay Area. We developed several communications strategies to support this goal. One was to leverage Cellular One’s position as the first and only local company to offer digital cellular service.
Finely tuned media positioning was the foundation of our digital program. Initially, we positioned digital as being “available now,” in contrast with the hype surrounding other futuristic applications of digital technology. We also stressed the “superior quality” of digital cellular.
A year later, amid growing public concern about cellular rates, we refocused our strategy to emphasize the “value” of digital over the standard analog service – better rates, simplified choices. We built that message around a new “one-size-fits-all” digital rate plan and a time-limited marketing promotion.
The campaign was phenomenally successful and further established Cellular One’s market leadership. Cellular One consistently received dominant coverage in the local major media with regard to digital cellular. Importantly, during this period, digital activations increased from 10 percent to 35 percent of new customers.
The impact of our efforts was confirmed when we received national honors from The Cellular One Group for the best media relations program in a competition among more than 500 cellular providers operating under the Cellular One name.
