June 28, 2008

When I drew this cartoon last Thursday, I had no idea the amount of vitriol ordinary Canadians had regarding Rogers, the Canadian mobile phone company that owns the distribution rights in Canada. There's even a site set up for sending a petition to both Rogers and the Canadian Government. Some people have written "Die, Rogers, Die!" and other hateful comments on the petition. I'm no PR expert, but this is probably not a good sign.  And I don't claim to have any marketing experience, but my guess is when there is that much universal ill-will towards your company, it's time to review some pricing policies. Treating Canadians as if they were stupid is not the best way to keep happy customers. The easy answer is just don't buy an iPhone -- or at least wait until the initial wave of geeks get their's at the premium rate. This is exactly what Rogers was counting on. Obviously, the Canadian revolt and PR nightmare was not apparently on the radar during the pricing phase, or there might have been a slight revision to the initial money grab. Rogers would do a great service to themselves by shortly announcing another plan that offered Canadians a bit more value and in line with what the rest of the world is paying. Based on the feedback, they could really turn the negative feelings into something really positive if they gave Canadians a break. Perhaps they could fire off a press release indicating that those responsible have been fired and prices will match AT&T's offering in the U.S. I doubt that would happen, but it sure would turn things around in a big way and better than any PR firm could manage.