Moving beyond 'five-bars' marketing

Unsteady economic times have caused many consumers to reevaluate what products and services are essential in their lives. The wireless industry, for the most part, has made the cut, achieving 8.2% year-on-year growth, according to ABI Research. For this momentum to continue, however, one analyst warns that carriers must strike a balance between marketing the essentialness of the service and making it personally relevant for the individual user.

“The opportunity is for wireless carriers to do a much better job at a collective industry level – not calling out any particular carrier – to market the essential nature of wireless services,” said Ranjan Mishra, wireless industry management consultant and founder of ESS Analysis. “We have heard the same ads on how many bars you have, and they are devoid of the economy and current circumstances. The wireless industry could do better on marketing how [cell phones are] essential and could be more effective for consumers as an ally to them when economic times are tough.”

Emphasizing value in advertisements is a popular strategy of consumer product makers outside the wireless industry as well. In its recent earnings call, Proctor & Gamble said its business and brands will employ this marketing tactic in response to a shaky economy. Yet the opportunity for wireless carriers is even more marked, as they have an ongoing relationship with the customer. The landline, not the cell phone, is typically the first to go when times get tough, but non-essential wireless services like ringtone downloads will see a steep decline from a big segment of consumers, Mishra said.

He suggested something as simple as partnering with LinkedIn or job-posting Web site Monster.com to get real-time alerts on the mobile handset. Many devices already have WAP sites for social networks like Facebook or MySpace, and Apple’s iPhone runs a LinkedIn app, but Mishra wants to see it more integrated into the business and professional side.