Koodo Mobile in Toronto or why develop a fake brand?
About week a or so ago everywhere I looked I saw ads by a “new phone company” Koodo Mobile offering “fat free mobility.”None of the ads that I saw or heard explicitly told what does “fat free mobility” actually means One thing was clear is that they are trying to reach young hip target group.
I decided to investigate a bit myself and went to their website. After a quick scan it was evident that the website is also made in way that is supposed to appeal to younger audience. Nice and clear design with only one problem – neither the phones or the plans are any different from other devices on the market. I Googled the name and realized that Koodo is sub-brand of Telus and pretty much is no different than Telus.
I personally don’t understand why invest so much of your resources in developing a fake brand? In the age of blogs and transparency younger consumers see right through your marketing. They smell fake from far away and once you are labeled as fake it goes all over internet and no marketing will save you. I am confidently saying that Telus’s resources were wasted (just see related links in the of the post).
Why not devote these resources to actually create a great product that will appeal to the youth. I can’t speak for everyone, but I am and most of the my friends would prefer to have unlimited internet surfing on our Iphones and we do want to watch TV.Why not spend these resources to create a package that would be comparable in cost to US providers? Don’t create a website that looks like a modern service provider – actually be that provider!
I rest my case
Update:04.21.08 Check my new post about Marteting Agency behind Koodo Mobile’s Ads
Update: New post about Koodo advertising campaign after one year
p.s.
- Koodo Mobile: three things I kinda like and 3 things I hate.
- Just read the comments on Mobileincanada.com – bad reception, people don’t get the brand
- “Telus targets youth with Koodo” by Globe and Mail
- “5.4 out 10 Koodo Mobile” by Cellphones Etc. read the comments
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newmania : I am officially sick to my ASS with Koodo advertising! (2008-04-12 14:50:32) Reply |
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stephaniehobson : The people in the Koodo ads aren’t the kind of people who inspire me to trust their judgement. (2008-04-11 19:43:31) Reply |
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michaelkwan : @buzzbishop because the koodo plans were designed with a lack of SAF in mind I guess. In this way, their $15 plan is really a $8.05 plan. (2008-04-11 11:41:27) Reply |
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buzzbishop : so if telus is willing to waive the system access fee for people using Koodo, why arent they waiving it for people using telus? bastards. (2008-04-11 10:48:17) Reply |
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laurentlasalle : Is it possible to “convert” your Telus account into a Koodo accound?! (2008-04-10 17:44:57) Reply |
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jimmurphy : @stuartma @tonyhung What do you thinkof the Koodo “Tab” concept for time-shifting the cost of new phones? Sure beats a 3 year contract IMO. (2008-04-10 10:30:31) Reply |
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stuartma : Huge Koodo ad install @ cnr Bloor/Church. Why? Because Rogers is a block away. Idiots. (2008-04-10 10:19:07) Reply |
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stuartma : Hey #koodo your launch ad campaign really sucks (2008-04-10 10:17:23) Reply |
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xaxen : Likes the look of Koodo Mobile. Would be better than Bell mobile! (2008-04-09 14:48:20) Reply |
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krestivo : New blog post: Koodo Mobile: 3 things I kinda like & 3 things i hate http://tinyurl.com/57yg3x (2008-04-08 22:40:10) Reply |
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krestivo : Fiddling with my blog post: Koodo Mobile: 3 things I kinda like (2008-04-08 22:40:10) Reply |
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krestivo : Fiddling with my blog post: Koodo Mobile: 3 things I kinda like (2008-04-08 21:59:09) Reply |
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msanford : Has anyone heard anything about Koodo Mobile? http://www.koodomobile.com (2008-04-08 20:04:07) Reply |
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thetoine : anyone know who is behind Koodo mobile ? koodomobile.com (2008-04-06 19:52:35) Reply |
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joedrew : Very, very surprisingly easy phone number port to Koodo. Significantly more difficult setup with iSync, but I finally did it! (2008-04-05 23:52:07) Reply |
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davecoleman : I have never seen a marketing push like koodo before … they should have put some of that marketing money into securing better handsets … (2008-04-04 14:29:51) Reply |
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duanebrown : Koodo Mobile ads are everywhere… its blowing up! (2008-04-04 13:51:36) Reply |
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michaelkwan : koodo mobile is stupid (2008-04-03 19:55:07) Reply |
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mdufort : @robroc At lunch time, there was a bunch of guys / girls doing aerobics at the corner of Ste-Cath and McGill College promoting Koodo. (2008-04-03 14:50:17) Reply |
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robroc : WTF? Koodo sent me a press package with a full-size Pilates ball. Definitely going in the blog as a silly Goodie Pageant. (2008-04-03 14:48:13) Reply |
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xtremesniper : I’m not sure if the people in 80s style tight spandex wandering downtown in groups for Koodo Mobile are scary or funny. (2008-04-03 14:09:40) Reply |
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duanebrown : Koodo Mobile – sounds very cool. Anyone else see the ads around town? (2008-04-03 11:57:36) Reply |
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smallduck : “Koodo Mobile”, which is advertising like mad in Canada right now, is just Telus (and their CDMA network) rebranded. (2008-04-02 20:11:53) Reply |
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pkaler : Koodo Mobile website requires Flash. FAIL! (2008-04-02 18:49:31) Reply |
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robroc : About to interview execs of Koodo, Telus’s new discount brand to compete with Solo and Fido. (2008-04-02 09:57:56) Reply |
[...] like statistics. While analyzing google’s traffic sent to my site I found out that my Koodo Mobile or Why Develop a Fake Brand post is my best post ever. Apparently a lot of visitors want to know what is the marketing [...]
[...] like a deal. I’ll take a look.” My friends and I had a debate about who Koodo was, and today we found out it’s Telus marketing to the youth market. This just proves my one friends statement that, “There is never a new carrier” is [...]
I actually like Koodo… I don’t use my phone for internet or Tv… I have my laptop for that! Besides, its for general public, most of whom DONT have the time (or desire) to watch tv on their cells when they could easily do so on a much bigger 46 inch LCD. Though I have to admit, I found their commercials a bit odd ^_^”
@angel I expressed my opinion in a later post, but just in case you are checking out just this one: again the idea of having a simple phone is good idea for a certain target group ( or general public like you wrote) their goal was to target younger generation though.
I think Iphone sales figures for the last quarter and drop of Motoralla’s earnings show quite effectively that there is a large demand for mobile devices capable of browsing the net.
It’s actually quite fun to look back at these discussions from a year ago. Most people discounted Koodo for their flaky ads and weak phone selection. However a source recently told me that it turned out to be the greatest cell phone launch in Canadian history. Apparently they have hundreds of thousands customers. It help that the economy went down the drain as well.