DALLAS-Paging Network Inc. today kicked off a hefty advertising campaign-expected to cost more than $20 million by the end of 1997-for its VoiceNow voice paging service, which started commercially in Dallas-Fort Worth several weeks ago.
A mix of television, radio, newspaper, magazine and outdoor ads are running in the Dallas area only, and as PageNet rolls out VoiceNow in other markets, advertising will begin accordingly.
A major goal of the ad blitz is to reach people who are not currently paging users, but who are likely to want voice paging for personal use, explained Leigh Alexander, senior vice president of marketing and strategic planning. She noted consumer research shows the highest demand for VoiceNow is about evenly split between business and personal users.
“This is both a big opportunity and a challenge,” commented Alexander. “You increase the size of the paging market by bringing in new consumers. The challenge is how we get a message across to all these new potential users.”
J. Walter Thompson of Chicago created the campaign. Instead of showing frantic, busy users on the go-a typical marketing theme for wireless-the ads aim to appeal at a more basic human level, said Alexander. The tag line is “hear the latest.”
PageNet wanted to express that VoiceNow keeps people in touch, is easy to use and is unintrusive. Also, the ads show viewers how voice paging actually works.
“Opera,” one of two TV ads running in morning, prime time and late night slots, shows a business man enjoying the opera with his girlfriend. He is waiting for an important message, which-of course-he receives on his VoiceNow pager. (He gets that big account.)
The other spot shows a female school teacher and her class on a “Nature Hike.” She receives messages from her husband, her daughter, then the school principal, who warns of a storm coming and urges her and the students to head home.
Radio and print ads are a little lighter and more humorous, said Alexander.
While the TV ads emphasize the human element in voice messaging, newspaper ads will emphasize low cost and dealer availability, PageNet said.
In conjunction with the campaign launch, PageNet has set up a toll-free number and a VoiceNow Web site for customers to order service or learn more about the new service.
