Telephony LIVE

Know a service provider that is DEFINING INNOVATION?

Nominate a service provider today for the Telephony Innovation Awards, to be held at Telephony LIVE: The 2008 Telecom Summit!

Learn more or Nominate!

         Subscribe in NewsGator Online   Subscribe in Bloglines

AT&T ups branding ante

more on the topic

More Related Articles

If you thought the AT&T logo was already ubiquitous, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The telecom giant announced today it is ramping up its branding campaign in anticipation of the late June launch of the Apple iPhone, for which AT&T is the exclusive wireless carrier.

Visitors to company-owned stores will see AT&T’s logo everywhere, as the Cingular brand is phased out of signage, store kiosks and point-of-sale materials, as well as voice greetings, handset displays and written communications such as billing statements. Major advertising campaigns that AT&T is conducting at events such as NASCAR races and the American Idol show will also focus on the new messaging.

The purpose is to play up wireless as part of AT&T’s quad play through in-store displays that tout not only wireless services but also AT&T’s traditional voice and its high-speed Internet and video offerings. AT&T said its high-speed Internet service will be for sale in 740 of its wireless stores, representing those that are within its local service footprint, and will sell AT&T U-verse or AT&T Homezone in 375 stores, in areas where those video offerings are available. In some markets, AT&T is launching what it calls the AT&T Experience Store, featuring interactive exhibits, as it seeks to further integrate its wireless and wireline efforts.

“The wireless industry is changing,” said Jeff Kagan, telecom analyst. “It’s moving away from stand-alone cellular service to part of the bigger bundle. It makes sense to have a single brand name they can show to the marketplace.”

It also makes sense to use the storefronts to sell AT&T’s other services, as the company squares off with its cable rivals, Kagan said. While it will initially be harder to make those retail connections when AT&T’s video services aren’t ubiquitously available, that will change, he added.

“It will be harder in the beginning, but remember, this marketplace is re-inventing itself,” he said. “It will take a few years before all the services are available. But having the AT&T stores sell all the services makes a lot of sense. Customers are buying differently than they have in the past. They can walk into a store and buy all the services--so if AT&T is going to be selling the bundle, they need to sell it at all the locations. The Cingular locations are a great opportunity because that’s where customers are coming to buy.”

The company also said today that the branding campaign it has conducted in the wake of the BellSouth merger, which made AT&T sole owner of Cingular Wireless, is already paying off. According to its research, awareness of AT&T as a wireless provider is up more than 80% and the AT&T brand is now equal to the Cingular brand’s previous status in designing relevant technology and being innovative. The company also said AT&T brand awareness is up sevenfold in the BellSouth region since the merger.

Get Updates Via Email

related resources

popular articles

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

White Papers

WHITE PAPER

Network Evolution to SIP-based Networks: Migration Strategies for Success

This paper explores the benefits of optical control plane functionality for service providers. You’ll learn the benefits of Ciena's CoreDirector, the first intelligent optical switch. DOWNLOAD NOW

Podcasts

PODCAST

A NXTcomm08 Podcast: George Dobrowski, Broadband Forum

George Dobrowski, chairman and president of the Broadband Forum, speaks with Associate News Editor Sarah Reedy about the broadband industry and its relevant themes at NXTComm08. LISTEN

Blogs

BLOG

What happened at NXTcomm08

Recuperating from the big show, here are some reflections on some of the more prominent themes amid activity at the show... READ

E-Books

E-BOOK

READ E-BOOK: MANAGING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

This e-book explains how to keep your customers happy, reduce churn and strengthen profits. Sponsored by CA’s Wily Technology Division. READ NOW!

Events

FEATURED EVENT

NXTcomm08: News from the show as only Telephony can deliver!

The editors of Telephony have all the news from NXTcomm08, including keynote recaps, podcasts, video interviews and much more! Visit nxtcommnews.com.

TV

TV

Interview with Jim Hansen of Embarq at NXTcomm08

Tune in to Telephony TV to watch an interview with Embarq's Jim Hansen at NXTcomm08. WATCH IT NOW.

  • Telephony Content
  • Telephony Content

current issue

Current Issue

June 30, 2008

Telecom's top execs had lots to say at NXTcomm08 -- our editors covered every word. Read Now

Telephony Innovation Awards

The second annual Telephony Innovation Awards recognize service providers who have developed unique or first-to-market offerings that either utilize technology or address customers’ needs in a new way. Nominate a service provider for this distinctive award!
Learn more or
Nominate

NXTcomm08 Show Daily News

Get up-to-the-minute news from NXTcomm08 -- before, during and after the show! Hear interview podcasts, announcements, commentary and more. Visit www.nxtcommnews.com!

more news

Global >>

MORE

Ethernet >>

MORE

Independent >>

MORE

IPTV >>

MORE

IMS >>

MORE

WiMax >>

MORE

VOIP >>

MORE

FTTX >>

MORE

Access >>

MORE

Broadband >>

MORE

Wireless >>

MORE

Software >>

MORE

Podcasts >>

MORE

Get Updates Via Email

Browse Issues

  • June 30, 2008
  • Jun 16, 2008
  • May 19, 2008
  • May 5, 2008
  • Apr 28, 2008
  • Apr 14, 2008
  • Mar 31, 2008