Were my expectations too high? Did a great new phone release print ad and great landing page create a buzz that fizzled? Was I tainted by the iPhone craze? I think so.I’ll admit, I was intrigued enough by a print ad in a newspaper today to follow-up and see more information online. I’m a Verizon Wireless customer and I signed on with them a few years back because of their good network. But, over the last two years, I’ve started to watch other carriers who are carrying more cutting edge technology in their cell phones.
Could a print ad change my perception of Verizon’s cell phone offering?
It was a half page ad on the back of one of the sections. The ad was all in black with the headline “Next Phones Now” followed by the date “10.3.2007″. Next were a set of 4 cell phones hidden in shadows so you can make out the outlines and a few characteristics, but not much else. Below the phone was their logo and the url - “www.verizonwireless.com/next“.
Being a bit of a technology toy geek, I had to check this out. I guess the fact that my Verizon contract is up in a few months also plays into my intrigue. 
The landing page is very well done and definitely creates the aura of an unveiling. Here is how it looks:
A clock counting down, soothing music with relevant lyrics, and a spotlight you can move around that lets you uncover some of the mystery are all excellent elements for this landing page. Lower on the screen were buttons to share with friends and add to del.icio.us. Verizon definitely has the pieces in place on this web page to create buzz and potentially some viral social activity.
…yet, I think their follow-through may lack some punch.
Since I typically write about small business marketing I’m always intrigued to watch the big players like Apple throw big money at great campaigns. So, I was excited to look around the web and see all the buzz about Verizon’s new phones.
…looking…still looking….getting bored…nothing….done looking.
- A search on “New Verizon Wireless Cell Phones” on Google yields only standard Verizon Wireless results. I was sure there would be news stories on the first page about their release or maybe a YouTube video relating to the new phone mystery. After all, this is the era of Universal Search!
- Their standard Adwords ads were up leading to their homepage. No ads touting their new phones or their “Next Phones Now” campaign.
- Nothing on their homepage! I thought for sure there would be something obvious there pointing to the campaign and the new phone unveiling. But, nothing!
What if I was in the market tonight for a new phone and provider? If I didn’t see that print ad, I might not know that in two days Verizon could have some great phones available.
In the era of Universal search, I would have suggested this to Verizon:
- Put some Press Releases out over the last month discussing the new phones. That gives them time to find their way into search results while this campaign is running.
- Get some influential technology writers some specs - or maybe even a phone - to look at and review (think iPhone). Create some buzz!
- Do something fun with a video or maybe even a game that let’s users try to uncover the mystery of what they’re about to release.
- Run Adwords ads on their name and terms like “new cell phone”. Have the campaign name in the ad and promote the mystery unveiling. Cell phone decision making starts and sometimes ends on search engines!
You know what’s interesting? None of my suggestions are “big dollar” marketing ideas. That’s why I think the online marketing - namely search engine marketing - has given small business marketing the chance to compete with the big budgets.
Well, Verizon, I’ll be watching to see what new phones you have, but I’m afraid your viewing audience might not be as big as it could have been. If you’re looking for someone to review the new phones, I’m always available!
Tags: new phone release, next phone, search engine marketing, small business marketing, Universal Search, Verizon Wireless
[…] phones. - Page 5 - T-MobileSignal - T-Mobile Cell Phone Forum wrote an interesting post today on Verizon Wireless: Some Buzz With No StingHere’s a quick […]
Those are all excellent suggestions, Pat. Like you say, none of them would cost a significant amount of money, and all of them have the potential to reach a lot of potential customers.
This is something I notice about a lot of large corporations. They don’t do a very good job of targeting their Adwords. They seem to mass bid on every keyword possible, but then send every ad to the home page, instead of to a specific, product-related landing page.
I think a lot of larger corporations still view online advertising as nothing more than a “virtual” version of a print ad, thinking in terms of branding, instead of conversions.
If more companies got smart, and sent their Adwords ads to specific landing pages, their profits would likely skyrocket.
Hey Adam,
I couldn’t agree with you more. The larger the company, the less targeted are their campaigns. But, let’s hope they keep doing that - it gives us small business marketers an opportunity to take business away!
Thanks, as always, Adam for the great contribution!
Pat
The interesting thing here is, unlike the iPhone, Verizon’s customers (like me) are already stuck with a phone and a package.
It would be different if they were offering up new phones for all current customers. My guess is that these phone releases will be found with other carriers as well.
It makes me wonder who their target really is. As a Verizon customer, I’m not excited… because I’m not do to upgrade.
oops… due
Hey Douglas,
Typically, the phones are specific to carriers and I’m guessing the target is new customers or current customers whose contract is soon up.
Making a splash with new cell phones that have all the current bells and whistles could be a big boost to their sales.
But, like you, I’m not all that excited as I won’t have the chance to try them out for awhile.
I agree, Pat! I hope that big corps keep on doing things in the relatively ineffective/inefficient way that they currently do. Like you said, it gives the little guy a better chance at taking a chunk of the market.
Thanks for those simple tips.
Douglas makes a terrific point that’s been a peeve of mine for a long time; trading up my phone without losing an arm and a leg in the process.
I thought you might enjoy this little tid bit from Fred Reicheld, the author of the Ultimate Question. http://netpromoter.typepad.com/fred_reichheld/2007/09/its-about-time.html
Here he actually gets to vent to his mobile phone provider about all his peeves.
Hey Ivana,
Thanks for the link to the article!
Yes, I agree - I could go on and on about my issues with cell phone contracts as well. Hopefully, someday it will get better.
-Pat
You know they just all gotta go and do unlimited priceing and it will all be fine. I have att and they just got me for another 2 years because I upgraded my phone. I didn’t realize what they were doing.