Cloud Net's views on the latest BT advert
Posted by Cloud Net on Wed, Jun 23, 2010 @ 03:49 AM
BT is running an advert which involves a young girl and her mum
using the key phrase: "Whenever dad calls he's always on the mobile. It's like he doesn't want to talk to me."
Dad then phones on a landline and they have a chat where the girl says something outrageous and the 30 seconds concludes with the voiceover: "If a conversation is worth having, use your BT landline."
If you haven't seen it you can watch it here http://www.tellyads.com/show_movie.php?filename=TA10583
The advert has raised almost entirely negative comment on the web with everyone more or less saying, "BT landlines are a premium product - they have to be kidding right?"
The issues remain however that landlines are clearer and a lot cheaper than mobiles. They don't fade or crackle, by and large, and you don't irradiate your ear. If mobiles had come along first I am sure the notion of a wired service being at a premium wouldn't have seemed strange. After all making a landline phone call uses a lot more physical infrastructure than a mobile.
BT may be facing an uphill struggle trying to persuade the cynical public about the benefits of landlines, but in the business situation using landlines is almost a must. Occasionally some misguided rep phones me from his car (hands free I am sure) and tries to sell as he is driving to his next appointment. He (and it is always a he) thinks he is being smart using his time efficiently. I just think he is being discourteous, not giving me due attention, being unable to write anything down and giving a rotten call quality all round. And of course when he goes under a bridge he has to redial. Sure if he was a friend then it would be fine but as a sales-call it is worse than useless, it's a turn off. I won't take the call from him next time.
In business you must use a landline to pay your customers proper respect but that doesn't mean you are stuck with BT. The modern approach to landline calling is of course to use VoIP and the service from Cloud Net using a free hosted PBX, allowing you to have a free new switchboard and get low, low call charges, is pretty much a no-brainer. Better functionality, no capital-cost, low call charges and all the benefits of a landline mean you really should check out Cloud Net Connect whilst you fume over the annoying BT ad.