A bit of background – in June Rogers announced that it would be providing customers with the ability to upgrade to the iPhone 4.  It was around the same time that Apple formally acknowledged issues with their new devices th

Rogers iPhone 4 Email from June 2010. [...]]]> How not to run a marketing campaign courtesy of Rogers.

A bit of background – in June Rogers announced that it would be providing customers with the ability to upgrade to the iPhone 4.  It was around the same time that Apple formally acknowledged issues with their new devices th

Rogers iPhone 4 Email from June 2010. The last email I have received from Rogers regarding the iPhone 4. Why so silent?

at under certain circumstances could result in dropped calls.  In the process, the supply of iPhones all but dried up as Apple worked on a fix.  As of the time of this writing, inventory in Canada is still in low supply.

As a current Rogers customer I was invited (well after visiting their website and providing my email address) to be informed of the upcoming release.   The last email I have ever received is the one shown here.  And NOTHING, not a word since.  In the meantime, the iPhone has been released to the public.  And still nothing from Rogers – no front of the line privileges, no phones set aside for me.  Instead I had to go and seek out the iPhone myself – of course they were sold out everywhere.

Finally in Mid-August by chance I stumbled upon a Rogers store that had 5 left in stock.  I got in line – and was customer number 5.  As the iPhones were issued – I got excited – here we go.  But when the line got to customer number 3 – that person decided to take two phones!   Thus denying me a phone.

Since then I’ve gone into Rogers stores that have told me they’ve never seen an iPhone 4, and the regular Rogers store has a sign buried inside the store that tells customers that they are currently out of stock of the devices.  But a clerk at this one location told me to keep coming in on Monday’s and Friday’s as they are the days that the store receives new shipments.

In the weeks since, I’ve continued my degrading visits into the stores to get my phone – of course each time leaving more annoyed and hater of the Rogers brand.

So what’s gone wrong?

Rogers should know better.  When the iPhone 3 and 3G were released – it was a highly sought out device – so there is NO EXCUSE for Rogers to not be prepared for high demand and have a plan in place.

What would I have done?

Let’s face it, once you’re locked into a Phone company, they own you.  Fine, I get it.  The money is in keeping customer and more importantly expanding their customer base.   With the launch of iPhone 4 Rogers now had to compete with Bell and Telus – as these companies now were able to sell the devices.

1.  Keep your customers updated.  Customers understand that problems can arise – are are forgiving.  So why on earth hasn’t Rogers sent out emails (to those who’ve opted in) informing them of the problems Rogers is having securing phones?  Silence is no answer, no excuse.

2. Incentivize Waiting. Every single new iPhone 4 should be going to new customers.  Those who already have an iPhone and Rogers customers should be at the bottom of the list.   Rogers should provide a good incentive for my patience.  Say 3 months free at the end of a 3 year contract.   Reason at the end of the contract is double fold – if I leave Rogers early they won’t lose out because of the offer also in year 3, I’ll have forgotten about this offer and it will be a nice feel good bonus at a time that I may consider moving to the competition.   This makes their current customers happy with the delay and frees up badly needed inventory to new customers.

3. Don’t play games with your customers.   A Rogers store rep admitted to me today that they aren’t allowed to display in the window signs stating that they’re out of stock of iPhones.  So they make their customers enter the store each and every time they’re curious about more iPhones being available.  Their logic is that by having me come in their sales clerks can sell me another device – good luck.   Just be straight up – find a real solution.  Text me when a phone is ready, send me an email, create a website showing where they’re in stock.

Really Rogers, you can do better.   Making your customers beg for a phone is a joke.  Even worse when you leave your customers in the dark.

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If CTV, CBC and Global want to survive they need to create one website Canadians can visit to watch anything they can normally get on cable – or [...]]]>

If Canadian Television networks have any desire to survive the next decade they have to do something very radical – join together.

If CTV, CBC and Global want to survive they need to create one website Canadians can visit to watch anything they can normally get on cable – or else sites like YouTube will bury them alive.

Why?

Because I, joe consumer have zero patients to learn 5 different url’s, interfaces, etc.  I want all video content from all television networks laid you 100% the same from site to site to site.

I want to visit one site, and be able to view, search and browse content regardless of network host as equally easy as I can on YouTube.  I don’t want to visit micro-site after micro-site to chase down (try to remember) what shows I want to watch.  Don’t make me visit Comedy Network to watch John Stewart, CBC.ca to watch the National or CTV to see an episode of the Amazing Race.

And if I don’t want to do it, I’m not going to do it.  I’m going to exclude and bypass Canadian networks outright finding the path of least resistance.

Oh the networks won’t go for this.  But all it takes is to set up a Beer Store style consortium where all parties are represented.  Revenue sharing models are created.  And in show commercials are still owned and managed by the host network.

Now go to various Canadian network sites and see how easy it is to quickly find and watch TV shows you’d watch on TV.

Here go try to watch:  John Stewart,  Survivor, The National, CTV Toronto local news.  GO!

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