Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

Marketing Waste

We’re spending tens of millions of dollars sponsoring and advertising around the College Football National Championship while the company is under pressure, the stock is lagging, and leadership keeps talking about “discipline” and “focus.”

A single 30-second spot costs roughly $1M, and full sponsorship packages run $25–35M+ per year. That’s real money being burned on branding theater at a time when we supposedly “can’t afford” bonuses, flexibility, or meaningful investment where it actually matters.

If cost control is truly a priority, this is exactly the kind of spend that should be questioned first.


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| 1351 views | | 20 replies (last January 23) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1kfcdgqp1

20 replies (most recent on top)

Its a good match though. We tank just like the cowgirls.

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Post ID: @qj+1kfcdgqp1

@e1

Yes, you can believe what you want to believe and make “the numbers” work for you. Sort of like alternative facts but those were ok, right?

But if all sides do this then what?

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Post ID: @hz+1kfcdgqp1

@dv

The truth is that there is very little empirical evidence…..in most things but we still believe.

Would love it if folks on this forum would apply this filter to all things not just the ones you want to rant about.

Very exhausting.

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Post ID: @hy+1kfcdgqp1

@dd pretty good. Insult the guy by insinuating that he stay in his lane with his pliers. fact is, if the guy uses piers, he's more valuable than you.

You'd be surprised to know who's following this site. But, you are correct, our marketing people aren't looking for advise here. However, if you want to know how much we spend on marketing, you don't need to be a subject matter expert, though its funny that's where your mind went. No, all you need is to review our annual filings and you can see where the money is being spent. As for our return, well, would it surprise you if I told you that marketing success is based largely on statistics and speculation? How do you quantify the value of seeing AT&T's name on the stadium?

Q. Does seeing AT&Ts name on the stadium make you more likely or less likely to purchase products from them? 1 for never - 5 for always

Q. Does seeing AT&T's name on a stadium make you feel that AT&T is more capable to provide world-class service to consumers? 1 for never - 5 for always

Now, we take that data, turn it into numbers and use those numbers to answer questions. 51% responded 2 or higher indicating that there our stadium factors into their decision making process. Therefore we can report that the majority of our customers feel that having a stadium factors positively in their decision to use our products.

I can do that for anything..

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Post ID: @e1+1kfcdgqp1

@dc nobody is changing their service provider because they sponsor an event. Very stupid.

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Post ID: @dw+1kfcdgqp1

The truth is that there is very little empirical evidence that advertising works at all. The problem is it is a self-fulfilling prophecy because sales and marketing people are fundamentally self-serving BS artists and they are the ones telling corporate leaders they have all these proven results. It is like car salesman selling you on the concept of commissioned sales. Even if it is actually bad for business, they would never tell you that.

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Post ID: @dv+1kfcdgqp1

Can we also talk about the incredibly awkward and uncomfortable KSK video before the game last night? Yikes. We get it, you want to be famous, but let’s be real.

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Post ID: @dr+1kfcdgqp1

@dd I wrote the post prior to you and I am in MGO though not on the advertising side. We majorly sc--wed up early last year with the overemphasis on guarantee and it nearly sunk the first quarter.

All the bigwigs were celebrating the Luke Wilson ads but all they say is “no, we really have the best network” which is essentially a meaningless claim. It’s like the Papa John’s best ingredients claim.

We could possibly hit competitors in other ways but they chose the lamest one and they have not said anything about the effectiveness so far which says everything you need to know.

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Post ID: @df+1kfcdgqp1

I’m guessing we don’t have marketing, advertising, branding, behavioral analytical SMEs who frequent this forum.

I have no idea what level of marketing spend is appropriate to positively influence our brand and revenues and nor do you all.

So grab your pliers and stay in your lane please.

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Post ID: @dd+1kfcdgqp1

Hard as it may be to believe we actually consistently spend less on advertising than the others.

I don’t have a problem with the sponsorship of the CFP and basketball tournaments as well as the Cowboy stadium naming rights. College football has a huge following and the Cowboys as cr@ppy as they are get huge ratings.

However, the Luke Wilson spots, which are supposed to be us “hitting back” against TMo, are really lame and like someone else said, our product names and benefit descriptions are way too long (if it takes us that long to describe it, it probably isn’t worth buying it).

Kellyn Kenny is an empty vessel. Some of the new people that have joined in the last few months might be competent though.

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Post ID: @dc+1kfcdgqp1

@cj correct. Stank runs the company like a Minnesota daycare.

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Post ID: @db+1kfcdgqp1

How many new customers do we have today??? I'm betting there were at least 3 or 4 guys from the Amazonian jungles who'd never heard of AT&T before seeing our logo plastered on every physical and virtual surface we cold find. Course, they have no idea how to talk to the little people behind the magic window... and do we even have phone models that will fit comfortably into a loincloth? Hmm. let me spend another couple hundred bucks of salary investigating loincloth compatible technology for the 21st century.

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Post ID: @da+1kfcdgqp1

We make communication go.

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Post ID: @d9+1kfcdgqp1

Get back to cutting fiber lines you loser.

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Post ID: @d6+1kfcdgqp1

Stankey needs all the “included” benefits that comes with those sponsorships! I wouldn’t be surprised if there are kick backs and money being funneled via back allies right into his pocket, as well!

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Post ID: @cj+1kfcdgqp1

Awesome to see our company's name on everything.

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Post ID: @ay+1kfcdgqp1

We can’t name products without making them a mile long and meaningless. Every ad campaign feels horribly dated and uninteresting. The only ace in our pocket is the money we burn getting semi-relevant athletes and actors- which isn’t even an effective tactic anymore.

If you told me our entire marketing dept was made out of nepo hires, I’d believe you. Not one thing they’ve done is praise worthy and all we do is worship their latest money drain.

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Post ID: @ak+1kfcdgqp1

Yeah it’s infuriating to watch. On one hand they tells us to scrimp every way possible and then you see that garbage.

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Post ID: @ae+1kfcdgqp1

Second

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Post ID: @ac+1kfcdgqp1

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