WIND Mobile Only Just a Breeze After All

Late last year Canada’s newest wireless carrier stumbled on to the scene. WIND had been run through the wringer by the CRTC on its foreign ownership content even though Industry Canada had given it the green light. WIND finally won out and the gate was opened wide for them to get started. Unfortunately, WIND has seemed to stumble through that gate and has no idea which way to run.

While we don’t truly know how many people WIND has signed up there are estimates of 30,000. That is not even close to being an acceptable number for a multi-million dollar leap-of-faith that seemed to have things right. With a CEO that seems to be on the ball, an experienced management team and a good story to tell how is that WIND has done so poorly.

Most of what you will read is that WIND was just not ready, and that is true, but it isn’t about having the right billing system, customer service or bullet-proof network. Their problem is in marketing.

WIND’s marketing strategy for launch is one that sounds like a great idea but just doesn’t have a mass momentum to it. They decided to offer simple plans that included unlimited calls, text messages and data but the complicating portion is the network coverage and confusions over “Home Zones” and “Away Zones”. Basically, things in your plan are unlimited while in your Home Zone but once outside that relatively small area you are now roaming and are charged per call/text/kb. People just did now feel there was enough of a benefit to take a chance with WIND…if they even knew about them in the first place.

If you build it, they will come. Or not.
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