Re: UKNM: The 'free' in free ISP now a commodity

[Geoff Inns]

Freeserve have got it spot on - they are benefit selling, telling people

what they can actually achieve using the Net in a way they recognise and how

it relates to their everyday lives.  The days of the emphasis on the 'free'

are over - it's selling what you can do in a brand you can relate to (tie up

with Dixons).


Similarly, the giveaway of digital TV hardware is all the sweeter given the

previous marketing campaigns centred on what they actually provide you with.


Geoff Inns

Business Development Manager

Guardian Unlimited

3 - 7 Ray Street

London EC1R 3DJ

Tel.: 0171 713 4457


-----Original Message-----

From: Sam Michel <

samchinwag [dot] com

>

To:

uk-netmarketingchinwag [dot] com

 <

uk-netmarketingchinwag [dot] com

>

Date: 15 June 1999 12:37

Subject: UKNM: The 'free' in free ISP now a commodity



>I went to see the cricket in Nottingham at the weekend. Why am I telling

>you this? Well, it happened that I drove through a goodly proportion of the

>West Midlands on my way there. I saw Freeserve posters everywhere...I mean

>almost every bus stop I passed.

>

>What struck me apart from the size of the advertising campaign (which must

>be one of the biggest for an ISP?) was that I didn't spot a single "free

>web access" or "free ISP" or any other slogan intimating that their service

>was free. My first thought was that perhaps they're just appealing to the

>legions of small shareholders, ramping up interest for their upcoming IPO.

>Then I considered, perhaps the public really have got their collective

>heads around this Internet thing, to the point where the de facto standard

>is free access through your ISP.

>

>As everyone's jumping on the bandwagon...Granada, FreeBeeb, etc, etc. it

>occurred to me that perhaps the free ISP has really reached commodity

>stakes and any publisher/e-commerce partner joining the fray should be

>considering one along with their server farm and content publishing syetem.

>

>So, surely any company who is taking customer retention, loyalty, and

>direct/database marketing seriously should be creating their own ISP?

>

>...or will the whole business model just disappear to the realms of big

>telcos...the early entrants aside? Is there any space left in the free ISP

>space for the new kids on the block? Aren't they wasting their time?

>

>

>Toodle Pip

>

>Sam

>-----------------------------------------------------

> Chinwag - http://www.chinwag.com


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