“Marketing is all about telling Marketing is all about telling

believable stories and PR does believable stories and PR does

that more effectively “that more effectively “

Lets try and understand the

little difference…

LONDON (AFX) - The UK's communications industry regulator said it will remove the price controls on line rental and landline call charges first placed on BT Group in the run-up to its privatisation in 1984.

In a move that will likely see BT cut its call charges to compete with cheaper rivals, Ofcom said it would scrap the current four-year-old retail pricing regime at the end of this month.

This morning's news is the culmination of Ofcom's long-standing Strategic Review of Telecommunications, and reflects the plethora of cut-price competitors that have eaten into BT's share of the residential voice market over recent years.Ian Livingstone, head of BT's Retail division, welcomed the easing of restrictions on the former monopoly.

'Ofcom's decision is good news for customers. A freer BT will deliver even better value and innovation for our residential customers,' he said in a statement

BT has given a number of assurances to offer additional protection for customers on low incomes and vulnerable groups.

The company has agreed to limit increases for its basic line rental product to a certain level to avoid disadvantaging customers for whom the line rental accounts for the overwhelming majority of their phone bill.

The removal of the price controls reflects the rapid growth of competition and

continued reductions in the cost of phone services for customers, Ofcom said.

More than 10.7 mln households and small businesses now use providers other than BT for their phone calls - including more than 4.6 mln cable customers - and the UK has some of the cheapest phone costs in the world.

It said the pattern of increasing competition and falling prices is likely to gather pace in the future as new technologies enter the mass market, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) phone calls over the internet, already actively used by more than 500,000 UK households and small businesses.

UK Ofcom removes retail price controls on BT line rental and calls UDPATE

advertising informs.

Pr educates.

PR creates perception

Perception is everything

What is PR?

Pr build brands

Advertising defend brandsAs per study conducted in 2003 on over 100 new product launches in

USA by Schneider & Associates in collaboration with Boston University’s

Communication Research Center & Susan Fournier, Associate Professor

of Marketing, Harvard Business School

As per study conducted in 2003 on over 91 new product launches in USA

by Schneider & Associates in collaboration with Boston University’s

Communication Research Center & Susan Fournier, Associate Professor

of Marketing, Harvard Business School proves that More successful

products have used PR followed by Advertising and less successful ones

relied mostly on Advertising to build BRANDS

The great Shift !

•General motors shifting to

advertorial worldwide

•P&G CMO talking about

‘money is in building

relationships’

• Starbucks, ikea, body shop,

linux

Disadvantages of pr!

You can not…

- Control the message

- Control the timing

- Control the visual appeal

- Even be sure that your

message will be delivered!

But…

The one big advantage is

Credibility

Various forms of

public relations

PR can…Highlight new or improved products and services and promote them to

customers or potential customers

PR can…Announce changes within your organization

PR can…Address industry issues and offer your company’s position

PR can…Highlight applications and the successes of your customers

PR can…Inform the industry and the business community of alliances and

strategic decisions

PR can…Acknowledge and promote the local interests of your workforce

PR can…Spark interest among potential investors or provide assurance to

bankers, investors, and business partners you already have

Final words…

The new technology and the way it is being used by consumers only

means that building and protecting brand image and equity is no more

only an advertising function. Marketers will have to be absolutely

responsible for all their actions. BP and Wal-Mart are two examples of

how great brands can take a beating if they fail on internal deliveries such

as corporate governance or employee satisfaction. Today, consumers

can find out the real you and broadcast it to the world at the click of a

mouse.

-Hamish Mclennan, Global CEO, Young & Rubicam

(In an interview to Mint WSJ in March 2007)

Do

And that’s why we are

rethinking.