HALIFAX – As EastLink introduces itself to former Persona customers in Ontario and Quebec, it will evaluate the regions and individual markets on a case by case basis before determining which new products and services to roll out.
And that process will include taking a close look at what local competitors are offering, be it local telephone service or faster Internet speeds, EastLink’s national director of marketing Owen Barnhill told Cartt.ca shortly after last week’s announcement.
“Consumer demand and competitors’ offerings will both be considered,” he said in the telephone interview. “We will not paint everyone with the same brush.”
For example, the company plans to launch local telephone service in specific markets in southwestern Ontario, while markets like Sudbury, ON will most likely see their video-on-demand and HD television lineups “beefed up”.
So why the change, and why not right across the country?
“This rebranding allows us to expand our brand presence, but only to areas where it fits,” Barnhill continued.
And that fit seems best in Ontario and Quebec, where the former brand may not have been as strong as, say, the incumbent in a market like Delta, BC. Barnhill cited Delta Cable, which is now known as Delta Cable: An EastLink company, as an example of a company with a strong brand presence in its community, one that would not be better served by the EastLink name.
Barnhill said that the Halifax-based company is not considering rebranding beyond Ontario and Quebec at this point, though Persona’s western division serves British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
And why now?
EastLink has been working to incorporate Persona into its brand identity since it was purchased by parent company Bragg Communications in September of 2007.
Now that the conversion to a new billing system is complete, Barnhill said that customers will receive their next invoices in the billing cycle from EastLink instead of Persona, and all conventional marketing campaigns in those markets will be subsequently renamed and rebranded. The transition to the EastLink brand will roll out in stages over the coming months, once customers have been fully introduced to the new name and website.
Barnhill said there are no plans to cut jobs, and that local support for the two provinces will remain in Sudbury. And contrary to the trend in the economy, there will be “tremendous growth across all markets”, and EastLink may staff up some of its more rural Quebec markets.
The rebranding of Persona in Ontario and Quebec will grow EastLink’s customer base to approximately 420,000 subscribers.
“I am quite excited to roll out the EastLink brand and introduce our network reliability and focus on customer service that we are known for,” Barnhill said.
