What advertising worked on you for your last wireless phone purchase.

My answers are not going to be of much help to you, but here goes for my last 3.

1. Blackjack - bought on the day it came out, from our AT&T corporate store. I was looking forward to it based on the specifications that were floating around on the web.

2. Treo 750 - purchased 6 months later from the same AT&T corporate store, to have the full PDA functionality, which the Blackjack did not have. Decision was based on user reviews on website.

3. Treo Pro, wanted one ever since it was announced by Palm, it was 750+. I bought it directly from Palm, based on specifications and user reviews on the web.

I have had AT&T for my provider all my wireless life so no decision making was required along that line.

 

I replace phones when they fail.

 

Well it's obvious, but like Charlyee says, the regular posters here follow the mobile industry much more closely than the average person. They may not be swayed by advertising as much as others. They tend to get their information from advance announcements about upcoming phones that are posted on sites like Engadget and Phonescoop. Personally, I also look at the online versions of Infoworld and InformationWeek, during most weeks. I try to ignore the ever-present banner ads.

Then, when the phone is shown at some trade show, there will be another set of reviews/press overviews on the same sites. Finally, when the phone comes out, there will be legitimate reviews and lots of user impressions. As you know, this whole process often takes 6 months to a year. If it's a GSM phone, there is often a European version that is available and reviewed, well before we get it in the US. By the time the US carrier ads come out, I've pretty much made up my mind.

I bought the LG CU500 because it was the first Cingular 3G phone. I bought it from a corporate store.

I bought the G1 because by that time I had switched to T-Mobile, and I wanted a 3G smartphone with a nice screen. Web browsing and Google Maps have become as important to me as voice. I was frustrated with the artificial limitations that the major carriers put on their phones (excluding smartphones) as far as what applications you can load and run. The G1 promised to be more open. Still, since it was very new, I waited until there were both legitimate reviews in the trade press and lots of user impressions (I don't put too much weight on these, but you can get a idea of the consensus.)

Then of course, there's the touching, trying and fiddling in the store. I bought the G1 at a corporate store. These are convenient where I live. If not, I might have used an authorized dealer.

Hope this helps.


SW

 

Advertising never made a difference to me. The reason I went with CellularONE way back when was because at the time the version of the StarTac that they sold had the lowest SAR rating of any phone on the market in the US. I've nevver changed carriers, been through Cingular, and now at&t. I start looking at upgrades several months before I qualify. I look at specifications, customer reviews, and I go to my local store and toy around with the new phones. by the time I qualify I usually have my mind made up.

-Jay

 

Well, you will hate my answer WBB. At least the first part, anyway.

I always buy from corporate stores. Mainly because I am wary of authorized sales centers that tack on their own cancellation penalties in addition to those of the carrier. One way I could be convinced to buy from a 3rd party dealer would be if I felt the store actually offered more personal service. Many 3rd party stores I have gone into have left me wondering whether or not I had just walked onto a used car lot.

So if I were to respond to advertising, it would be advertising that played up the establishment of a personal connection between the retailer and the customer. The phones are the same (for the most part) everywhere, so I would want to know what makes the buying experience at your store better than at any other store.

 

That's why I buy at my local store... I have a personal relationship with the people who run the store. The people are more knowlegeable than in the corporate store, and they can almost always get me a much better deal on a handset than if I went corporate.

Also, as a small businessman myself, I like to support other local businesses.

-Jay

 

I was curious about the Voyager from all of the pre-release buzz. Because it was one of the first touch-screen phones after the iPhone, I was very interested.

Verizon's commercials for the phone piqued my interest as well because of its touch-screen interface. I remember they extolled the virtues of the touch-based outer screen and the full QWERTY keyboard inside with a second screen.

Because it was considered an enV successor also interested me. I never cared for the original enV, although I like the idea of dual screens. The Voyager seemed like a sleeker, iPhone-like follow up. Of course, as we know, the Voyager was not the enV's replacement.

After having owned the Voyager for a year, I'm still very happy with it. Though there were shortcomings with the phone, it has worked very well for me. I don't use the text feature so the inner screen and keyboard get little use.

I would say the ad's enhancement of the phones features and uniqueness (at the time) worked for me too. I was interested in the Voyager before the Verizon's ads, but the commercial basically put it over the top for as my next phone.

As far as the Nokia 6555 for AT&T and the 6263 for T-Mobile, I've always like Nokia and I liked the look of the phones. I'm glad Nokia embraced flip phones. That's what sold me.

 

Like Jay said, I'm also don't make my decisions based on advertising. Usually I choose a carrier I know has a good quality network, and then look at what phones they subsidise. Then I'll pick a good quality phone.

Some people I see just walk in a store and pick a phone based on the nice red color, without any thought of what network it will be on or who made the phone. That's kinda scary. Actually, I'd say the consumers I see are split 50/50: people who buy based on research, and those who buy based on shiny colors. So you may want a 2-fold marketing approach ....or just sell good quality phones that are shiny and red and call it a day

 

I have to agree with you there BeachBum as a store manager of and authorized dealer company, I am always fighting with the times to get the "right" colored phones in stock and keeping them (the G1 and Samsung Gravity being the two that stand out the most, the whites are impossible to find and keep in). I tend to put flyers out in the food courts or any public place, giving people something to read while they sit down and eat works wonders. Also offer advice and price comparisons to other carriers on hand outs that people can take with them. Catchy phrases also work like my favorite "Gee isn't it a 1derful time to upgrade your phone?" People can't help but laugh or remember the slogan and thus stop or come back to you later. The other thing is I like to offer a referral program, like earn a free bluetooth if they recommend 4 people to come sign up through you. It works just like rebates, most people don't ever complete it fully and you just get more business without having to pay anything.

 

The advertising that worked for me were promos on the phones and fees... I'm a Verizon user who has no desire to leave. But I was hooked on the phone specials (like buy X, get X or Y free). I was able to add my mom back \in 2006 when I bought a Samsung SCH A930 and got a Motorola V325 for free. The free phone was a BOGO on the V325 but I got the rep to let me buy the A930 and get the V325 for free. Last year, I wanted to dump Windows Mobile and the BB Pearl was $100... I managed to get it for $50 because of the state employee program. Right before that, I replaced the V325 with a free W385. I added another line as well with the W385 and had the activation fee waived.

I would love to go to an authorized agent, but I dont know whether the phone and accessory discounts would carry over... Maybe mention some discounts (that won't kill the bottom line... )

 

One of the reasons I have bought from Verizon Corporate stores is repair service. I can walk in with a broken phone and leave with a fixed or factory refurbished (FRU) phone. I even avoid Costco for that reason and they give free stuff with the purchase.

As to advertising, sometimes its just letting people know you are available to be of service so they will remember when the need arises.

 

I use the T-Mobile Corporate store. I purchased T-Mobile for my wife nine years ago (back when it was VoiceStream).

I moved from Bellsouth DTS to VoiceStream about a year or two later.

Then brought my first daughter on our plan a few years ago. My second daughter just came on about a year ago. And my son came from Sprint (after he tried AT&T for a few years) a few months ago.

I am with T-Mobile because the plan I have works best for me and my family's needs - and having my whole family on the same plan, gives us the advantage of mobile-to-mobile. I stay with T-Mobile because of the value I believe they offer, and the GSM coverage is good in my area (and when I travel it is good enough) plus UMA roaming is nice.

I guess for me... getting me to join it was about price of plan. Getting me to stay is the price of the plan - and features I have on it.

 

5 minutes with an iPhone after demo-ing everything else Verizon and AT&T had to offer was all it took to sell me. I had been an AT&T user for 7 years, but dumped them for Verizon before the Cingular merger, and was very happy with Verizon. It was a leap of faith to go back to AT&T, but in retrospect, since the iPhone absolutely blows everything else out of the water, I wonder now why I hesitated at all. (BTW-I'm a PC)