THIS WEEK: BT to simplify home message

BT is changing marketing direction in an assault on rival firms and will

build future campaigns for home phone users around simplified, single

messages.

It is planning to move away from its ‘scattergun’ approach in which

several campaign messages have run at one time.

Instead, BT plans to start a major TV campaign next month based on one

message that customers can cut phone bills by up to 25% by joining its

free Friends and Family discount scheme.

The spring offensive will be fronted by Bob Hoskins and is the first in

a series of massive single-theme campaigns which BT hopes will get its

marketing message through more clearly.

‘We want to really focus on a few big messages,’ said Charlotte Pinder,

BT’s head of marketing communications. She said customers were confused

about new services such as its 1471 dial-back system, which can identify

and automatically call back your last caller. ‘We have a whole raft of

products which competitors do not offer, but the marketing of our

services has not been heavyweight or carried out for very long,’ said

Pinder.

The new marketing team, headed by managing director Stafford Taylor, is

opting for fewer marketing messages but more weight for each.

The strategy is intended as part of BT’s fight against the marketing

assaults of rivals, including AT&T and the consortium of cable firms

jointly funding a pounds 12m campaign through the Cable Communications

Association.

However, BT dismisses speculation that it is to launch a pounds 40m

offensive against cable as ‘nonsense’.

* See Media, page 11

This article was first published on Marketing