It seems that there’s now proof that the Fair For Canada campaign launched by the big three telcos failed to resonate with consumers. Canada.com is reporting that the CRTC got letters from consumers who were less than thrilled with the big three’s attempts to win hearts and minds:
Several letters to the CRTC obtained by Postmedia News under access-to-information law show the public’s displeasure with the “Fair for Canada” campaign by Bell, Rogers and Telus, which attempted to rally public opinion against the possible entry of a fourth major wireless carrier such as U.S. giant Verizon into Canada.
The letters expressed little sympathy for the incumbents, citing a lack of competition in an industry where the largest three companies control about 85 per cent of all wireless airwaves and consumers pay some of the world’s highest wireless rates.
“I totally completely, 100% support Verizon and any other companies. I’m sick and tired of Bell, Rogers and Telus having the entire market share,” one person wrote to the CRTC, echoing several other similar submissions. “Please keep things open to outside/foreign companies because that’s the only way we consumers can get lower prices and better service.”
I am not at all shocked by this. In fact, I wrote on several occasions that this campaign was not resonating and was doomed to fail. The article quotes Rogers response to this:
“It was about our ask of the government for a fair and level playing field that treats large foreign carriers the same as established Canadian carriers,” spokesperson Jennifer Kett said in an email.
“The campaign generated significant debate and discussion among Canadians — something that we see as a good thing. We believe it’s important that consumers are engaged about how best to ensure that both Canada and Canadians benefit from a strong, sustainable and competitive wireless sector.”
Other than the fact that it seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, this ad campaign worked out well for them. Though the article does have one suggestion as to what the big three could do to win hearts and minds:
But John-Kurt Pliniussen, associate professor of eMarketing, sales and innovation at the Queen’s School of Business in Kingston, Ont., said he wasn’t surprised that Canadians responded negatively to the campaign, calling it a waste of money that had no bearing on the auction.
“Essentially what they’re saying is look, we’re going to spend a lot of money to try to change the government’s mind and to hopefully get consumers on our side,” he said.
“Why not take that 10 or 15 million you’re spending and come up with an incentive to thank your loyal customers and lower their rates, or give them a deal? But that’s not what they did. They just took money and tried to change opinion. It was a total waste of money.”
Hmmm…. That sounds familiar. But I digress. Even if no foreign competition comes into Canada, it seems that the big three have really damaged their credibility. Thus they should consider taking my advice, John-Kurt Pliniussen’s advice, and the advice of every Canadian and bring their pricing more in line with the rest of the planet as well as providing good customer service.
Really. How hard is that?
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This entry was posted on September 26, 2013 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Canada, wireless. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Fair For Canada Campaign Irked Consumers CRTC Letters Indicate
It seems that there’s now proof that the Fair For Canada campaign launched by the big three telcos failed to resonate with consumers. Canada.com is reporting that the CRTC got letters from consumers who were less than thrilled with the big three’s attempts to win hearts and minds:
Several letters to the CRTC obtained by Postmedia News under access-to-information law show the public’s displeasure with the “Fair for Canada” campaign by Bell, Rogers and Telus, which attempted to rally public opinion against the possible entry of a fourth major wireless carrier such as U.S. giant Verizon into Canada.
The letters expressed little sympathy for the incumbents, citing a lack of competition in an industry where the largest three companies control about 85 per cent of all wireless airwaves and consumers pay some of the world’s highest wireless rates.
“I totally completely, 100% support Verizon and any other companies. I’m sick and tired of Bell, Rogers and Telus having the entire market share,” one person wrote to the CRTC, echoing several other similar submissions. “Please keep things open to outside/foreign companies because that’s the only way we consumers can get lower prices and better service.”
I am not at all shocked by this. In fact, I wrote on several occasions that this campaign was not resonating and was doomed to fail. The article quotes Rogers response to this:
“It was about our ask of the government for a fair and level playing field that treats large foreign carriers the same as established Canadian carriers,” spokesperson Jennifer Kett said in an email.
“The campaign generated significant debate and discussion among Canadians — something that we see as a good thing. We believe it’s important that consumers are engaged about how best to ensure that both Canada and Canadians benefit from a strong, sustainable and competitive wireless sector.”
Other than the fact that it seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, this ad campaign worked out well for them. Though the article does have one suggestion as to what the big three could do to win hearts and minds:
But John-Kurt Pliniussen, associate professor of eMarketing, sales and innovation at the Queen’s School of Business in Kingston, Ont., said he wasn’t surprised that Canadians responded negatively to the campaign, calling it a waste of money that had no bearing on the auction.
“Essentially what they’re saying is look, we’re going to spend a lot of money to try to change the government’s mind and to hopefully get consumers on our side,” he said.
“Why not take that 10 or 15 million you’re spending and come up with an incentive to thank your loyal customers and lower their rates, or give them a deal? But that’s not what they did. They just took money and tried to change opinion. It was a total waste of money.”
Hmmm…. That sounds familiar. But I digress. Even if no foreign competition comes into Canada, it seems that the big three have really damaged their credibility. Thus they should consider taking my advice, John-Kurt Pliniussen’s advice, and the advice of every Canadian and bring their pricing more in line with the rest of the planet as well as providing good customer service.
Really. How hard is that?
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This entry was posted on September 26, 2013 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Canada, wireless. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.