AT&T rebrands itself in effort to improve public perception
With damage done from constant criticism of the performance of its wireless network, as well as a public ad war with rival Verizon, AT&T, the exclusive carrier of Apple's iPhone in the U.S., has begun an attempt to rebrand itself as a "lifestyle company."
The new advertisements featuring the slogan "Rethink Possible" began airing Thursday during the Masters golf tournament. The new brand is being introduced through five new TV spots, and will apply to a broad range of AT&T products and services.
"AT&T is launching a new brand promise, 'Rethink Possible, 'that articulates what AT&T is today: An innovation company," the company said in a statement. "Rethink Possible will highlight how AT&T is delivering meaningful innovation that’s changing how people live, work and play. It conveys our desire to push the limits of what’s possible to make life better for our customers. We rethink possible so our customers can rethink possible."
One commercial begins with a man being introduced in the future as the 57th president of the United States as his parents watch and smile. It then rewinds to a much earlier point in his life where the man's parents first met, when his father changed a train ticket on his smartphone. It ends with the line "Any second could be the second," before showing the new logo and slogan. It also, in a voiceover, touts that AT&T has the nation's fastest 3G network.
Profiling AT&T's "ambitious" effort to rebrand its image Advertising Age this week gave details on the new advertising campaign, created by Omnicom Group's BBDO. The effort will go beyond TV to include print, outdoor, digital, in-store, and "non-advertising marketing."
The report also noted that services from AT&T such as rollover minutes lack mention in the commercials "if they don't fit under the new framework."
The rebranding also includes a new logo with the AT&T globe that removes the name of the company from the graphic design. It's all part of an effort, the report said, to make consumers think of AT&T as more than a telecommunications company, but an "innovation company."
A new video on the company's Web site expands on the positive "Rethink Possible" slogan with a number of other phrases, including "Because before it could be done, it couldn't," and "Play the angel's advocate."
"Our brand promise is to 'Rethink Possible,'" the Web sit reads. "But it's more than a slogan -- it's the expression of what we stand for. It's what we strive to do every day so you can stay connected to the people and things that matter to you the most."
Included are a list of services offered by AT&T across a variety of its businesses beyond wireless, including cable television, and the development of home-based medical monitoring devices like "life slippers," which help indicate a likely fall before it happens.
The campaign is a change from the previous effort, in which AT&T, with the help of actor and spokesman Luke Wilson, directly took on criticism from rival carrier Verizon. The campaign also made note that AT&T's network allows users to take a call and surf the Web at the same time -- something not possible on Verizon's CDMA network.
AdAge said the change is a "definitive attempt" to get away from the advertising battle with Verizon, and focus on the positives of AT&T and the services it offers customers.
The battle between Verizon and AT&T has been personal times, resulting in a lawsuit (that was later dropped) and featuring countless ads from both companies insulting the others' service and coverage. Verizon's own advertisements mocked Apple's "There's an app for that" slogan by showing a coverage map with Verizon service, stating "There's a map for that."
The new advertisements featuring the slogan "Rethink Possible" began airing Thursday during the Masters golf tournament. The new brand is being introduced through five new TV spots, and will apply to a broad range of AT&T products and services.
"AT&T is launching a new brand promise, 'Rethink Possible, 'that articulates what AT&T is today: An innovation company," the company said in a statement. "Rethink Possible will highlight how AT&T is delivering meaningful innovation that’s changing how people live, work and play. It conveys our desire to push the limits of what’s possible to make life better for our customers. We rethink possible so our customers can rethink possible."
One commercial begins with a man being introduced in the future as the 57th president of the United States as his parents watch and smile. It then rewinds to a much earlier point in his life where the man's parents first met, when his father changed a train ticket on his smartphone. It ends with the line "Any second could be the second," before showing the new logo and slogan. It also, in a voiceover, touts that AT&T has the nation's fastest 3G network.
Profiling AT&T's "ambitious" effort to rebrand its image Advertising Age this week gave details on the new advertising campaign, created by Omnicom Group's BBDO. The effort will go beyond TV to include print, outdoor, digital, in-store, and "non-advertising marketing."
The report also noted that services from AT&T such as rollover minutes lack mention in the commercials "if they don't fit under the new framework."
The rebranding also includes a new logo with the AT&T globe that removes the name of the company from the graphic design. It's all part of an effort, the report said, to make consumers think of AT&T as more than a telecommunications company, but an "innovation company."
A new video on the company's Web site expands on the positive "Rethink Possible" slogan with a number of other phrases, including "Because before it could be done, it couldn't," and "Play the angel's advocate."
"Our brand promise is to 'Rethink Possible,'" the Web sit reads. "But it's more than a slogan -- it's the expression of what we stand for. It's what we strive to do every day so you can stay connected to the people and things that matter to you the most."
Included are a list of services offered by AT&T across a variety of its businesses beyond wireless, including cable television, and the development of home-based medical monitoring devices like "life slippers," which help indicate a likely fall before it happens.
The campaign is a change from the previous effort, in which AT&T, with the help of actor and spokesman Luke Wilson, directly took on criticism from rival carrier Verizon. The campaign also made note that AT&T's network allows users to take a call and surf the Web at the same time -- something not possible on Verizon's CDMA network.
AdAge said the change is a "definitive attempt" to get away from the advertising battle with Verizon, and focus on the positives of AT&T and the services it offers customers.
The battle between Verizon and AT&T has been personal times, resulting in a lawsuit (that was later dropped) and featuring countless ads from both companies insulting the others' service and coverage. Verizon's own advertisements mocked Apple's "There's an app for that" slogan by showing a coverage map with Verizon service, stating "There's a map for that."
Comments
And they're going to take away features (rollover minutes) to improve their brand?
Everyone know going head to head on bits and bytes and who is faster at what never wins. Apple tried to fight that battle and lost so they just changed the playing field and made people realize there is more to computing they how much memory or processor speed you have. Looks like AT&T is trying to do the same thing.
A rose by any other name...
putting lipstick on a pig.
sadly (and not unlike microsoft), at&t is only interested in their image and profits?how cheaply can they get services to a customer for the most amount of money.
here's a concept: fix your infrastructure. become an innovator and not just a company that is perfectly content to sit on its laurels. it's too bad steve jobs couldn't take the helm of at&t for a few years and seriously kick some ass.
Is there not a single english major on the AT&T payroll? Who comes up with this nonsense?
Rethink Possible. Hmm, a bit like Think Different, but worse.
Yeah, I was going to say the same thing.
And what, exactly, are they claiming "innovation" on? Getting the hell out of the way so someone else could create the cell phone that changed the market?
This is just another in a long string of attempts to rebuild their image through branding rather than by performance. After all, today's ATT is nothing more than the rebranding of SBC and Cingular, two of the more notoriously hated companies in the country at the time (from my perspetive, at least). They bought ATT so they could use what was then a respected brand image.
Hell, I'm not just going to 'Rethink Possible', I'm going to 'Rethink Possiblier'!
Is there not a single english major on the AT&T payroll? Who comes up with this nonsense?
LOL
Indeed, if they can't do that, it'll simply breed more cynicism.
The report also noted that services from AT&T such as rollover minutes could cease to be offered "if they don't fit under the new framework."
Really AT&T?! Luke Wilson trained long and hard to kick those simulated Verizon minutes down that hole in the ground.
Hell, I'm not just going to 'Rethink Possible', I'm going to 'Rethink Possiblier'!
Is there not a single english major on the AT&T payroll? Who comes up with this nonsense?
It is the job of the marketing department to come up with something that sounds good and or has some emotional impact while remaining utterly devoid of any true meaning or content. If your marketing slogan does not truly mean anything then no one can claim your slogan was untrue or misleading.
AT&T, the exclusive carrier of Apple's iPhone in the U.S., has begun an attempt to rebrand itself as a "lifestyle company."
...
"AT&T is launching a new brand promise, 'Rethink Possible, 'that articulates what AT&T is today: An innovation company," the company said in a statement.
Would it be too much to ask that they be a company that can make up its mind?
Actually I like the first way better. That way, when exclusivity ends on the iPhone someday, I won't be switching carriers. I'll be making a lifestyle change.
I don't care about what you look like but what's in the inside...
Oops... That still doesn't look good. Sorry for you
I had to agree to pay 18$s per line just for the transition. When the ATT person found that one of the lines had an iPhone with a contract that ended july 2010, they pretended to force me to extend the contract for 11 more months.
ATT blames Apple, but whatever agreement they have is not my concern.
Why should anyone be obligated to more contract time, just to move a line from one account to another within the same carrier ???
This is an example of the daily frustrations ATT customers have to go through every other day.
A change in image will never change their clients perception, only excellent customer oriented service will.