<A> "WinStar Announces "Frictionless Business" Internet Strategy"
biz.yahoo.com
Unveils Brand Strategy and Millennium
Marketing Program for Medium- and Small-sized Businesses
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 1999-- WINSTAR COMMUNICATIONS,
INC. (NASDAQ: WCII - news) today announced an exciting and innovative new
marketing program designed to help medium- and small-sized companies transition to an
Internet-centered business style and compete in the fast-growing electronic marketplace.
The company also unveiled a new branding strategy and corporate logo that supports
Winstar's role as consultative expert and partner to its customers. The brand strategy,
marketing program and logo reinforce Winstar's belief that business strategy and
communications technology are mutually dependent, and reinforce the company's goal to
make business ''frictionless'' for its customers as they embrace the new Internet
economy.
With the shift of voice to data traffic and narrow to broadband networks, the new
marketing and branding programs further position Winstar to fully benefit from the
convergence of communications, computers and content while providing real value to its
customers.
The new marketing program - which expands on Winstar's popular Project Millennium
campaign - offers medium- and small-sized businesses two powerful incentives for
embracing the Internet: affordable, high-speed access and related services; and a
valuable Web-based application for businesses - Office.com(SM) - designed to bring the
best of the Internet to the desktop.
The new branding strategy and marketing program are the culmination of several key
achievements: the wide availability of Winstar's broadband network, the maturity of its
sales and service organization and the development of new and innovative applications
and services.
The company has also created a new tag line - ''Brave New Business'' - a description
that applies to many medium- and small-sized businesses utilizing the Internet to grow
rapidly, increase market share and satisfy customers. The new Winstar logo melds the
''star'' from the company's previous logo with a Mobius strip, a geometric curve that
represents fluid and frictionless relationships between business partners.
''It's our goal to provide businesses, especially medium- to small-sized companies, with
the tools and expertise they need to take advantage of the new Internet economy and
profit from it,'' said William J. Rouhana, Jr., Winstar's chairman and CEO. ''Winstar has
assembled a unique set of assets including one of the world's largest broadband
networks, innovative business applications and content, and a mature, seasoned sales and
service organization. As a result, we are singularly positioned to help customers make
the transition to a 'frictionless' business.''
Marketing Program
Winstar, one of the largest Internet companies in the United States, is offering free local
phone service for a full year to businesses that try its high-speed Internet service.
Customers are required to sign a minimum one-year contract for the high-speed Internet
access and a 3-year contract for local phone service. The offering provides for a local
phone service credit of up to $1,000 each month.
Businesses can receive a wide range of always-on Internet access services - including
128K, 1.5Mbps, 45 Mbps and 155Mbps - that are competitively priced and readily
scalable to suit every business' growing needs. The campaign is the third phase of
Project Millennium, the company's popular marketing campaign designed to provide
customers with reliable, low cost services, while driving traffic onto Winstar's network.
As part of the program, customers will be provided enhanced Internet service with
Office.com, a premier destination Web site for medium- and small-sized businesses.
Office.com was designed to provide users with the tools and information they need -
content, commerce, communications and community - to conduct business more fluidly,
seamlessly and efficiently. Developed by Winstar and one-third owned by CBS
Corporation (NYSE: CBS - news), Office.com is scheduled to launch this fall.
The third phase of the Millennium program is available to all businesses in Winstar
buildings across the country. Because Winstar can quickly deploy its fixed wireless
broadband technology, customers can get connected to the Internet much faster and more
cost efficiently than with fiber- or copper-based services.
''Office.com adds a critical and unique application to our strategy to profit from the
convergence of data-based communications,'' said Nathan Kantor, president and COO of
Winstar. ''It is a key proof point in showing our customers how to unleash the power of
the Internet, to meet long term objectives and day-to-day challenges.''
Nathan Kantor called this program a ''win-win'' for Winstar and customers. ''Winstar
realizes greater overall gross margins from increased penetration in buildings, greater
on-net sales of high-margin bandwidth intensive services; long-term customer contracts
and increases its on-net customer base. Customers receive increased value through
enhanced service offerings, greater discounts and a consultative-based sales approach
that helps them maximize profits in the electronic marketplace.''
Winstar Communications, Inc. is a pioneer in providing business customers with
broadband communications services, including local and long distance phone service, as
well as high-speed Internet access, data and information services. Winstar provides
these Wireless Fiber(SM) services in more than 30 U.S. markets over its own local
broadband networks, using its licenses in the 28 and 38 GHz spectrum, which are
connected to the company's nationwide fiber-optic network. In addition, the company
offers Wireless Fiber services in four international markets. In the past year, Winstar has
become one of the largest Internet companies in the U.S. Recently, the company
announced a destination Web site for businesses, Office.com(SM), a service from
Winstar. |
