Verizon at Home

[#1]

As a dad of young daughters, it’s fun helping to bridge the generational gap between them and my 86-year-old father.  My kids “get” Skype; love to FaceTime with close friends (with parental supervision); and find apps with ease on the family iPad.

On the flip side, my dad loves seeing photos and videos of grandkids on my Facebook account, but don’t dare text him; write him a thank-you note via email; or ask him to Tweet.

Considering each generation exhibits its own technological fluency, how does a company like mine showcase the benefits of using our flagship FiOS Internet and FiOS TV services to savvy, technologically fluent consumers who prefer living in apartments or condos vs. the ’burbs?

In the case of a new marketing and awareness campaign launching this week in the Washington, D.C. metro area, and aimed at 25-39 year olds, the key is to fish where the fish are, so to speak.

Over the next two months, older Gen Xers and Millennials in the D.C. metro area will be hard pressed to NOT see and hear a flurry of information about FiOS at places the age group know well -- shopping malls, commuter stations, health clubs, juice bars, restaurants, bars and movie theatres.

This young, mobile and tech-savvy group regard the Internet and TV as their primary source of entertainment and information.  Our campaign will weigh heavily on social media as we seek to reach these hip, young trendsetters who live for the moment, want a borderless lifestyle, enjoy technology and often spend more than half their day surfing the Web.

Given the heightened use of mobile devices among this key age group, we’re introducing the “FiOS 50,” a first-of-its-kind for Verizon list of the 50 hottest, hippest, must visit places to go in the D.C. Metro area.  Participants will get exclusive FiOS offers when they link to www.verizon.com and special discounts when they mention FiOS at the FiOS50 hot spots.  Participants who pass the FiOS 50 link onto family and friends also will be rewarded.

So what’s all the fuss over this age group mean to you and to us?

From a real estate perspective, it means the tough economy has forced many people to downsize and move into apartments and condos.  But that’s no reason to sacrifice technology.  Verizon serves hundreds of D.C. metro area multi-dwelling units with the same great FiOS services we offer consumers in single-family homes.

From an entertainment perspective, today’s 25- to 39-year-olds rely heavily on the Internet and TV for work and play.  Our FiOS services, which are carried on an incredibly reliable network with the fastest Internet speeds, best TV picture quality and anywhere/anytime access, can quench the needs of these tech-hungry consumers.

From an economic perspective, well, business is business.  Our goal is to take market share from local cable rivals Comcast and Cox, whose products and quality of service, we believe, don’t stack up to our robust and reliable FiOS offering.  And, in particular, we’re working to sign up more and more FiOS customers in the highly competitive multi-dwelling unit market.

We’ll be reaching out to this critical demographic group in other cities in the months to come. For now, you’re invited to visit one of our FiOS50 venues if you’re in the D.C. metro area, and watch how this generation-specific campaign takes off by following these hashtags on Twitter, #FiOS50, #MusthaveFiOS and #FiOS.

[#2]

Hey! I live in Montgomery County, Work in D.C. a block from the Whitehouse, take the commuter train to work every day to Union Station! What is wrong with the burbs? Had FiOS since 2005. Bill do you live in NYC?

Since our internet route goes through D.C., I hope you don't give D.C. all the bandwidth.

[#3]

prisaz,

Our FIOS deployment is rather widespread throughout Montgomery County, MD in both single family homes and multi-dwelling units (apartments and condos).

In fact, MontgomeryCountywas the first county inMaryland to get a TV franchise agreement.  

Our fiber-optic network build out in the District continues so we’ll be taking FiOS to more and more and more areas.

Specific to this initiative involving multi-dwelling units, the availability is always variable building by building due to property owner agreements with providers.

After work one day, hopefully you can take in a #FiOS50 venue and tell us about it.

I’m not in NYC.  Like you, I’m the burbs.  In my case, the FiOS-served burbs of Dallas... Plano to be exact (the largest city served with FiOS inTexas). -- Bill

[#4]

Bill

I was more referring to the burbs comment. Perhaps I will check out  a #FiOS50 venue.

I take a train in at 5:30am start at six do 9 hour days and then get home at about 6:30 or 7pm. Makes for a long day. So I may find time. I have been keeping my eye on the happenings here from the start. Yes I was one beating down your door for fiber in 2005 and shortly TV there after.

Yes I was a very early adopter in my area. If I can take in a #FiOS50 venue I will tell all about it. I am more at the other end of the spectrum. The over 50 part. Just slightly.

Not really into marketing or the latest trends on places to go. Tend to stick closer to home. Go to D.C. and get out. The type of person perhaps the city hates. I go the because of the job. Trying to get out to the Metro to get to the train station tonight was busy. Christmas tree lighting had people down town. I guess living in this area for 51 years I take it for granted.

Take care

Mark

[#5]

Bill – My roommates fit right into your target demographic, and switched to FIOS in DC about a year ago. However, now the roommate who open the account with FIOS is moving out, though the 4 other roommates aren’t moving out and neither are any of the TVs! FIOS is telling us we need to disconnect all our cable boxes and wireless router and return it to you and then have a FIOS representative come to our home the next day and install the cable boxes and wireless router on the same TVs. This doesn’t seem to make much sense when we transferred names on the bill with Comcast they never gave us this much hassle. Not sure if you thought this out enough; for young, tech-savvy group; we are all terribly upset we will have a few days without the ability to surf the Web. This tough economy has forced us to live together like many other DC twenty and thirty-somethings, but your business policy needs to change to fit your customer base.

[#6]

Fiosdc –

For starters, you’re in the right as you describe a situation that is not consumer friendly. The good news is that we can streamline things for you.

To move things along, can you offline please provide me with the current customer name (your roomie who is moving), the phone number or account number, and a number that I can have a customer service official contact your roomie.  We will need your contact information of course, and based on what your roomie (as the billable customer) has on the account we would do a supercedure that streamlines things for you as the customer who will in effect pick up the same service but under your name.

So bottom line, our customer service official will need to speak to both your roommate that's leaving so they can give permission to remove their name and you (assuming YOU are the roommate who will take over the account) because we need to do a credit check.

I’m at william.kula@verizon.com and 972-718-6924. -- Bill

[#7]

If Verizon wants to promote use of FIOS, why not finish wiring the metro area? Why isn't it yet available in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, for instance?

[#8]

There's a conversation going on here:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26640562-The-End-of-Fios-

regarding a few recent news articlesabout Verizon abandoning Fios and partnering with the likes of Comcast and Time Warner.  I would like to know what exactly does this mean for customers such as myself who are currently on your all fiber optic system. I sincerely hope that this does not mean the end to your high quality video and uncapped internet services!