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Tips from Independent Telcos

by Ken Pyle ([email protected]), Viodi, LLC

I love organizing workshops and conferences, because they are great learning opportunities for me. One of the things I have found is that the things I learn go through one ear and out the other, unless I write them down. Actually, they still fly through my cranial tunnel, but at least I have a place to look for the interesting tidbits that I momentarily learned.

I took a gaggle of notes at the Local Content Workshop in Oregon. Unfortunately, I do not have them with me as I write this missive. Here are some important notes that I remember off the top of my head.

EFFECTIVE SURVEY ANECDOTE: Two of the telcos at the Local Workshop reported that they had surveyed their customers to determine the best programming for their communities. Each telco provide a different incentive for customer participation. One telco offered $5 credits on the customer communications’ bills, while the other took a contest approach, whereby the winner received a $1,200 HDTV. The telco that offered the $5 credit is about 10 times larger than telco that gave away the HDTV. As it turns out, the telco giving away the television had a 35% response versus 25% for the telco that gave credits and only spent about 1/3 of what it would have spent if t had gone the credit route.
ACACIA ANTIDOTE? One telco General Manager reported he got a letter from Acacia Research demanding a payment for $50. This letter included a template contract. He sent in a check, along with a modified contract. Below the signature line, he added a clause with words to the effect, “this contract shall become invalid if any of the Acacia Research’s patents referenced herein are proven to be invalid.” Acacia signed and returned the contract. Brilliant!
Parenting TODAY has figured out a way to make money from multiple angles. They formed a long-term sponsorship with a local hospital, whereby Parenting TODAY uses the hospital’s doctors and resources for every health issue. In exchange, the hospital provided a significant sponsorship throughout the year.