Telco marketing efforts hit the streets

After cable TV company chiefs speaking at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on Monday expressed some cautious optimism about their market position, telcos chiefs yesterday took the stage and indicated they need to act more like the cable guys-at least where marketing strategies are concerned. Qwest CEO Ed Mueller said his firm is trying to adapt its market from centralized to a more regional market-by-market focus.

Meanwhile, Telephony reports that R. Stewart Ewing, CenturyTel's chief financial officer, said his firm would take a similar approach following its pending acquisition of fellow independent telco Embarq. For a while now, it has seemed like telcos, especially the biggest ones, were very interested in touting their brand images to as big an audience as possible, though their direct marketing efforts at a local level already have taken a different tone for some time (the localized approach starts when you go to a telco website and immediately are asked to enter your zip code). But, perhaps we'll start to see even fewer national commercials urging us to "ride the light" and other, similar messages, and more energy directed at the unique needs of each customer. It couldn't hurt.

For more:
- Telephony covers the UBS speeches

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