U.S. Cellular says that it is resetting and updating its branding and elements of its technology and how it interacts with its subscribers. The new strategy will emphasize fairness, the company said.
The initiative includes new pricing plans for what the company called a “faster national network experience” and “bolder, integrated communications.” The effort, which focuses on a “fairness” message, will run through next year and extend through U.S. Cellular marketing and retail programs, including to the company’s website, to customer appreciation efforts and to local community events.
“Now is the time for us to elevate how we tell our story, to reinforce our values and highlight the customer experience we deliver that makes us unique,” Jay Spenchian, the carrier’s senior vice president of marketing, said in a press release. “It’s time to reintroduce ourselves to consumers and to give them unique and compelling reasons to choose and stay with U.S. Cellular.”
Interestingly, the carrier also emphasizes 5G in this campaign. U.S. Cellular says they will not leave their rural markets behind with 5G, saying the carrier intends start with 5g in markets where other carriers will not.
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There will be three elements: Fairness to customers, building a fair network and fairness in communities.
- The fairness to customers element features the claim that there are no hidden fees and, hence, no surprises when the bill arrives. Subscribers also will be eligible for a payback plan that refunds $10 per month when less than 3GB of data is used per line.
- The fair network element focuses on investments the carrier is making to speed its network. The fairness element comes in to play with the company’s observation that it will be the first to provide 5G in rural areas.
- The fairness in community elements focus on employees volunteering thousands of hours annually. The company also will be providing financial support for local events, groups and programs involving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
U.S. Cellular made two announcements earlier this year that appear to be part of the overhaul. Last month, the carrier introduced a plan that offers four lines of unlimited data for $30 per line. Several months earlier — in February — Ericsson announced that U.S. Cellular had chosen it to provide 5G hardware and software. U.S. Cellular and Ericsson had tested 5G use cases and agreed to work together on deployments in the carrier’s network.
