Wireless provider Mobilicity is urging Canadians to “outsmart” Canada’s so-called “Big 3” mobile phone providers – Rogers, Bell and Telus – in a new campaign from its creative agency of record, Sharpe Blackmore Euro RSCG.
Speaking with Marketing via telephone from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Mobilicity’s chief customer officer Anthony Booth said internal research indicates increased consumer dissatisfaction with the country’s largest wireless providers and what he characterized as an “antiquated” contract model.
The print, out-of-home and online campaign is running in the five cities in which Mobiliticy operates (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa) and feature the company’s futuristic mascots holding up a placard reading “Outsmart the Big 3 wireless companies.”
The creative calls out established players like Rogers and Bell, claiming they are exploiting customers to fund business deals such as their December acquisition of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
Copy in one of the ads reads “Together the Big 3 can afford ownership of 2 major stadiums and 6 pro sports teams. So maybe that’s where all those extra fees go?” while another reads “The Big 3 wireless CEOs made a lot of money in 2010… and by a lot we mean a combined $22,788,361.00. Ever wonder where all your data overage fees went?”
The creative retains the company’s “Now that’s smart” positioning.
While Mobilicity has positioned itself as an alternative to the country’s biggest wireless providers since launching in Toronto in May, 2010, Booth said the “Outsmart” campaign is the most direct approach it has taken.
“We want to be a little more aggressive in pointing out where the big three are spending the hard-earned money of Canadians,” said Booth. “They put themselves in a financial position where they can pay their CEOs $9 or $10 million a year, buy sports teams and stadiums, but we just don’t think that’s the best use of consumers’ money.”
The established providers, he said, have given Mobilicity “a lot of ammunition” to fuel the Outsmart campaign. “We’ve got a pretty full arsenal of things we can say that will be fresh and exciting, because there’s a lot of material there.”
Booth said that Mobilicity plans to come out “very hard” in the first quarter, with consumer response to the marketing determining how it will proceed. “If it’s effective, we’ll run it as long as we can,” he said.
Media buying for the campaign was handled by MediaCom, which took over the account from MPG in November.
