PT, widespread visability of NXTL's wares is about to change. Exhibit A was found in yesterday's San Diego Union Tribune on page A-14. Ritz Camera had a full page ad with Nextel prominately featured in a 4"X4" portion of the ad. I suspect that the same ad appeared elsewhere. As more resellers succeed in their groveling with Nextel, they will be ordained by Akerson to dispense iDEN through their outlets and will also advertise NXTL's service. As far as "most cellular phone owners" (your words), NXTL couldn't care less about the typical cell phone user. Since NXTL offers a premium service at a premium price, it's clearly targeted at heavy users. Most folks user cell phones for emergencies and "Honey, pick up a quart of milk and a loaf of bread on your way home from work" calls.
NXTL's radio advertising in the San Diego has been all inclusive and most targeted prospects have heard the requisite number of repetitions of the ads. Again, the same campaign exists in other NXTL markets. Brand name recognition takes time. (Qualcomm is dealing with the same brand recognitin problem themselves.) How long did it take Compaq to go from an unknown to the top notch brand it is today? It didn't happen overnight. On another level, what if NXTL would have had 1,000,000 folks wanting their phones each quarter? Sounds like good news, eh? Well it isn't because MOT can't deliver that many phones. Could NXTL deliver them if MOT did deliver? Not yet. By the time the manufacturing capacity is there, the NXTL delivery system will be in place and the advertising/marketing will be refocused to ramp up sales. And maybe the day will come soon when folks will compare NXTL's success with compaq's.
Arnie
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