PHILADELPHIA: Comcast's internal PR team is conducting a media outreach campaign to raise awareness for the new high-speed Internet services it expects to roll out in dozens of markets.
The offerings, which allow consumers to download data at speeds of up to 50 Mbps (the average US download speed is 2.3 Mbps, according to an August Communication Workers of America study), will be available in three US markets – Minneapolis-St. Paul and the Philadelphia and Boston metropolitan areas – within weeks. Comcast expects to roll out the service to seven other major metropolitan areas within months.
Charlie Douglas, director of corporate communications for online and voice services at Comcast, said that gamers and other technology enthusiasts are a prime audience for the service.
“On one hand we have the [50 Mbps service], which is going to be interesting to the tech elite, who are most likely to be interested in that product because it has extremely fast speeds, and would allow the super-user to do things that the general consumer audience may not find as appealing,” he said.
However, the company is also reaching out to general consumers and businesses. It is conducting local media outreach in affected markets and launched a consumer-facing Web site that shows users whether the services are available in their zip codes. For national outreach, Comcast's PR team has contacted technology bloggers and online forums, Web-service and cable trade publications, gaming titles, and the consumer business press, Douglas said.
B-to-b publication outreach is also underway in order to reach offices that use large amounts of hi-resolution imagery, including those of game designers and doctors, he added.
