Challenge: A category defined by one-upmanship and generic appeals.

Business owners looking for Internet and phone service face a demoralizing landscape of options. Marketing in the category is dominated by confusing product claims, with providers desperately shouting about faster speeds, lower monthlies, and complicated add-ons. In addition, cliché imagery and “run your business” messaging. These trends make it hard for service providers like Spectrum Business to differentiate themselves in a meaningful way.

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Insight: When everyone’s talking “what,” talk about “how”

In spite of their dissatisfaction, many business owners were reluctant to switch providers due to a widespread belief that “they’re all the same.” To overcome this inertia, Spectrum Business had to make a convincing case that they were truly different. Everyone else was busy talking about what they offer in terms of speeds and rates and packages. This created a prime opportunity for Spectrum Business to tell a different story: about how they do business with the businesses they serve.

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Solution: Illustrating how “different” is in our DNA

Spectrum Business had long ago done away with major category pain points like hidden fees and contracts. Their company culture placed a priority on transparency and customer service. The brand just needed a platform to make that story truly resonate. A platform we called “No Nonsense. Just Business.”

The campaign launched with a straightforward attitude and executional approach: a “talkshow” format in which business owners could commiserate with a Spectrum Business spokeswoman about their frustrations. This simple storytelling device allowed us to address competitors’ wrongdoings and turn our audience’s inertia into action.

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Results:

While we cannot disclose specific results data due to our privacy agreement, the campaign exceeded expectations on all of our key metrics of brand consideration, qualified call volume, and sales. To build on the success of the first round, we are currently developing a second iteration of the campaign helping additional businesses avoid the nonsense.

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