Thread by @alexgarcia_atx

Remember the early 2000s?

Dial-up internet.

Spotty phone coverage.

During this time, Verizon was known as the worst service provider falling short of AT&T and Sprint.

Until they launched a campaign that helped them gain massive market share in just 2 years.

Here's how 🧵

Okay, so it's the early 2000s.

The competition was heavy between service providers.

You had AT&T, Sprint, and Cingular down right battling for you to buy a sh*tty flip phone paired with terrible service, snake, and price-per-minute plan.

At the time, unlimited plans weren't the norm...and neither was reliable coverage.

BUT, Verizon did their homework. They dug through data, surveyed, and researched like crazy to find what customers craved from their service providers.

And what did they want?

Reliable coverage.

Sure, customers wanted hella minutes and a low price point.

But, their minutes didn't matter if their service wasn't reliable.

Knowing this, Verizon set foot on a different path.

And in 2002, it all changed.

Verizon set out to create their differentiation factor: Reliable Coverage.

This would position Verizon as the premium service, and they knew it.

They were spending an estimated $1B every 90 days to improve their service reliability and expand their coverage footprint.

They did what no other phone provider would do.

Verizon sent out A TON of employees all over the US to test the reliability of Verizon's Network.

People, on average drive, 12k miles a year.

These employees were driving 100k+ miles a year to test coverage.

That's dedication.

So they're traveling all over the US:

In the swamps.
In the deserts.
In the mountains.
In the gutter.

Everywhere you can think of.

And each time, they asked one question:

"Can you hear me now?"

Holy crap.

Light bulb moment.

Quickly, Verizon rolled out a masterpiece of a campaign.

Their "Test Man Launch."

One man.

One Line.

All over the world.

For 30 secs.

Saying, "Can You Hear Me Now?"

And, OMG, did it resonate with people.

Here's how much:

- Verizon’s Net customers grew 10% to 32.5 million in the first year of the campaign

- Net Customers grew again by 15% to 37.5 million in the 2nd year.

- Customer churn dropped to 1.8% after two years, down from more than 2.5% before the campaign launched.

Here's what you should take away from Verizon:

1. It was based on problem-solving

Verizon wanted their customers to have the best service around town. Unlike, any other provider they went all over the country making sure it was reliable before rolling it out to their customers.

2. Customer Insight

Verizon had analyzed the key purchase considerations for wireless users.

They knew customers didn't mind paying more for reliable coverage.

So, they used this at the core of their campaign with messaging that convinced users they'd have coverage EVERYWHERE.

3. Visuals

The visuals Verizon used were genius.

It showed the "Test Man" everywhere and anywhere asking the only question that mattered "Can you hear me now?"

He'd wait a second.

And say, "good" and go about his business.

No matter where he popped up -- he had service.

4. Relatable

"Can you hear me now" is the most used phrase when phone coverage is spotty.

Verizon noticed this and stole it right from under us for their campaigns.

Why?

Because anyone who had a cell phone in the early 2000s could relate.

Sticky and relatable.

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Takeaways:

1. Find differentiation factor
2. Focus entirely on problem-solving
3. Use consumer insights to understand their perspective
4. Use visuals that help tell the story
5. Make it relatable and sticky