02/06/2008 09:00
After a 12-month consumer marketing hiatus, Australia’s third-largest telco, AAPT, has reignited its residential business with an integrated direct mail, radio, print advertising and online campaign.

Launched on Friday, the campaign moves away from the telco’s previously high-profile television advertising presence, to a more targeted strategy in metropolitan and selected regional areas.

The new direction focuses on suburban print media advertising over nine titles in Sydney and five titles in Brisbane, metro press in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane and selected metro radio.

The campaign is the first part of a phased marketing strategy to attract new residential customers with competitively priced bundled products and services. The second phase will be implemented later this year.

AAPT Chief Executive Officer Paul Broad said the new marketing direction for the telco signals a fundamental change in its Consumer value proposition, following a merger with business-to-business telco PowerTel last year.

“We now have our own high-grade network infrastructure, providing a significant footprint in major capitals around the country,” said Mr Broad.

“This has greatly benefited our wholesale, business and consumer customers as we aren’t reliant on a third-party provider – we can provide our customers with a seamless end-to-end experience when they deal with us.

“What this means to our residential customers is a more reliable, cost-effective bundle of phone and broadband products,” he said.

The campaign is the first offering from new agency, Leo Burnett, appointed to AAPT’s Consumer business in February this year.

The campaign highlights AAPT’s position as a full service provider in the telco market, and majors on their ADSL2+ broadband product , AAPT LiveNet™.  

“AAPT LiveNet allows customers to choose whether or not to enter a fixed term contract – and we don’t charge excess fees if they go over their monthly usage allowance, which is a key differentiator from other broadband offerings in the market,” continued Mr Broad.

Also featured are the great value Home Chat™ home phone plans, which can be bundled with broadband for an extra discount.