Cingular Wireless Is Now The New AT&T

Let me offer a full disclosure here -- I am a Cingular Wireless subscriber, and a reasonably happy one at that. However, I am getting really annoyed by the whole "Cingular Wireless is the new AT&T" advertising campaign.

I believe that the whole name change is a bad idea, if only because Cingular is a well-recognized name in the wireless industry. Yes, I know that AT&T is. . . well. . . AT&T, but in many parts of the country they have taken a backseat to the Cingular brand name. A better strategy, from my point of view, would have been to re-brand as AT&T/Cingular, thereby preserving both recognizable identities in one -- sort of a Daimler/Chrysler arrangement, as it were. Some marketing genius, though, told them to kill off the Cingular name, and so AT&T has done it with a vengeance. There is just no turning back.

However, if AT&T wants to make it work, there need to be some concrete steps taken to make the re-branding go smoothly.

First, make the chance. Enough of Ryan Seacrest repeating the stock phrase "Cingular Wireless is the new AT&T” on American Idol. Just do it – start calling it AT&T wireless as soon as the new
new AT& T phones (likely the new Apple iPhone) roll out. Slap AT&T on all the new phones.

Secondly, start marketing the change of brand to those of us who have been Cingular customers for some time, because that has not been done in any effective way yet. Cut us a deal on the new Apple iPhone with its fresh new AT&T logo. Cut us a deal on Razr phones branded with the blue glove and not the orange “X man".

The company could earn some serious good-will with a generous phone update/upgrade plan of some sort, and turn us into word-of-mouth advertisers for how great the change is going to be for customers of the new AT&T.

But most importantly is going to be getting the latest phones out with the new brands on them. Verizon has done a superb job of marketing their phones and making them the hot phone to have. AT&T wireless needs to do the same. it is therefore critical that the Cingular name disappear quickly from stores and websites, to be replaced with the new name and logo. Make sure that Wirefly and other authorized dealers get the new merchandise and logo quickly as well.Start advertising phones and making them the big selling point (think Chocolate) -- the AT&T brand name will take care of itself and prosper among consumers.

After all, AT&T is AT&T.

Paid Endorsement.

Posted by: Greg at 11:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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