Spinning Around in Circles: A Good Thing
So, maybe I just notice these ads because I am, well, ’supposed to’. Being the NASCAR enthusiast that I am, I am bound to find some strong brand affinity - especially since everyone’s favorite driver tells them so. My favorite driver (Ryan Newman) tells me every time he’s on camera that Alltel Wireless, and its My Circle plan, is the best cellular deal ever. How can I not believe the guy I root for every Sunday? Fortunately for Alltel, Ryan Newman fans aren’t the only people who are buying into their new services.
The campaign began as the simple My Circle promotion. Alltel let the world know about the new plan through the usual, traditional media outlets. The campaign also made great use of the #12 Alltel Dodge by designing a new paint job that highlighted the new Alltel service. This is when we all first met the infamous Chad - aka the official face of Alltel.
This campaign opened the doors to Alltel’s current campaign which has taken the ‘my circle’ brand around full circle. The current ads feature Chad (Alltel) interacting with reps from the other four major wireless carriers. Sure the ads are informative and somewhat funny, but the best part of the spots comes at the end. Check out the great ‘call to action’ in this ad:
The Head-to-Head challenge is a very interesting feature. It reminds me of the Progressive Insurance idea where they compare and contrast their policies with the policies of their competitors. The Head-to-Head feature highlights many benefits of Alltel’s services, and can be a handy tool for people who are searching for a new phone service. Here is the actual site:
I am most impressed by this internet component of the campaign. Internet advertising has stumped ad professionals and companies for years now. Generating ROI from internet ads is the largest challenge. This campaign seems to have the right idea by catering to the customer and making the application interactive, rather than just posting a couple of banner ads. I bet it is only a matter of time before we see Alltel’s competitors follow a similar path.
