It wasn't that long ago that AT&T Wireless was absorbed into Cingular, but in 2007 Cingular's brand will be dropped in favor of AT&T's. This is one of the outcomes of AT&T buying BellSouth (the two companies jointly own Cingular).
Aproximately $4 billion has been spent branding Cingular and the money is still flowing, almost $1 billion is budgeted for 2006. Insiders expect AT&T to spend around $2 billion dollars in rebranding Cingular to AT&T Wireless, despite mixed opinions on a benefit:
Still, many ad experts feel the success of bundling is far from a given, and that ditching the wireless brand as we enter a wireless future is the wrong approach. “To give up Cingular is a mistake,” especially in favor of AT&T, “my father’s brand of telephony,” said Jonathan Asher, president, Dragon Rouge USA, a branding and design consultancy. “I’m not sure how much value or what AT&T brings to the party.”
The whole point of the "new AT&T" moniker is that it ISN'T your father's telecom. If $2 billion is what it takes to place their new logo in front of 55 million people several times per day, then it can only strengthen the AT&T brand as a whole and increase the likelihood that these former Cingular customers will purchase other services (i.e. broadband, television, etc.) from AT&T. God bless 'im, Ed Whitacre is no dummy.
They can be "Cingular" or "AT&T" or "Wires B' Gone" for all I care -- just can they PLEASE find someone to build them a phone / PDA that won't get patent sued every second Tuesday and that will work out of the box with Yahoo's and AOL's messaging applications???
I think the humorous part is the timing... They are spending money now to brand AT&T Wireless as Cingular even as they budget for branding Cingular as AT&T Wireless.
I prefer at&t wireless over cingular. Plus the blue at&t logo is better than the cingular logo.
I think that Cingular will be rebranded to AT&T so that they can take advantage of the new phones coming out that will work from home service and seamlessly tranfer calls to a gsm network. That would decrease dead spots inside of peoples homes and allow the company to bill as one service. I'm sure that Internet, Cable, etc. could eventually all be combined.
I think they'll merge with T-Mobile, then spend another $2 billion to change their name to AT&T-Mobile. Verizon will follow suit, buying Sprint/Nextel/Boost, pull an AT&T and call themselves GTE (instantly recognizable, especially in California). When all the dust clears and everyone switches to VOIP, the Feds will allow a final giant merger and we'll have Ma Bell back. Rinse and repeat. Wouldn't be surprised if it actually happens.
As a loyal Cingular (Formerly AT&T Wireless) customer, I would welcome such change. Not on the grounds that want the old AT&T Wireless back (Okay, well I am somewhat nostalgic,) But really I just prefer the Blue color over the Orange Color. Cingular has been very good at transitioning its former AT&T customers, but the one thing that just stands out is all this orange crap all over the place. And its not just me, lots of people I know perfer AT&T's Blue over Cingular's Orange. That Aside, the AT&T Brand is wwwayyy too favored to miss out on a "Wireless" venture. The Cingular brand is but just a few years old. And this crap about AT&T being for old people, and Cingular being for a younger target group-- is nonsence (btw, i am 20). All they have to do is keep the same marketing firms in place that got cingular where it is today.
Cingular is so commercial now with American Idol and Raising The Bar The Best thing to do is to leave things be I am a Cingular Employee as well as a subscriber The Cingular Orange Is BEautiful Baby
AT&T had a very sophisticated branding, store and wireless extras before they turned to Cingular. I had been with Pac Bell back in the day and dropped it in favor of AT&T. I was shocked to see Cingular take over with all the trashy marketing and worst services and marketing. AT&T says quality, reliablity and a sophiticated product to me- and every age group in our family. Is there anything more modern and yet timeless then AT&T?
Yeah, I would not change to the Orange color, I am still using AT&T simcard since Orange took over, but rather keep the AT&T plan due to the fact that I have to pay for 7pm-7am early nights and incoming text messaging if I transfer to Orange, plus loose a couple hundred of minutes if I transfer to Orange, I have a corporate account which only ties me to One year plan. If I transfer to Orange they would tie me to a 2 year plan instead and loose all my extras, with my old AT&T plan, I could upgrade 2 phones per line, but Orange took that away. Have in-laws with Cingular and they signed 2 years this year and Orange told them that they are not eligible for a phone upgrade c'mon see what I mean about bad customer service, you basically pay for new phones for that 2 years how come they cannont get new phones, that is so ridiculous.
In light of AT&T Wireless's horrible reputation here in CA for dropped calls and lousy customer service, I'm suprised by the name change. It's a shame that what was once a great brand has been tarnished by the incompetence of its managment team.
Verizon is a much safer bet.
When Cingular bought AT&T wireless they never fully integrated the operations, certainly not the customer lists and web sites. To this day, "former AT&T Wireless" customers have to go to a different web site, and get offers in the mail from Cingular that they find they are not eligible for when they call and ask. My wife is still on her former AT&T plan, while I am now on a Cingular plan. Do you think they could send us one bill? No, even though it's supposedly the same company, that's beyond them.
To now rebrand Cingular as AT&T wireless will be the ultimate "cluster" irony. Will they now have a site for "former Cingular customers" with reduced functionality from the site they give the AT&T customers who became Cingular customers (sort of) and now are back to AT&T? Will all the "former Cingular customers" be told they have to change to an AT&T plan if they want to take advantabe of special offers? Aaaaack! The possibilities for bureaucratic nonsense are endless.
Read the Consumer Reports Dec 2005 edition on mobile phones and you will not be surprised why Orange is being dropped in favor of blue.
YEAHH IM SOO EXCITED TO HEAR AT&T IS COMING BACK I HAVE STUCK IT OUT AND WELCOME THEM WITH OPEN ARMS!!!!
I am a formerA TT&T customer and I would definitely not migrate over to the Orange. I would loose 500 bonus minutes and the 7 0'clock calling option. I have had serveral bad experiences with the Orange. They do not have good customer skills. I cannot begin to tell you the hassle I get. I have friends that are on the Orange (sound like a type of medication), and they tell me how many times their bill gets screwed up. What does the Organge say? we can work with you to clear that up. But the problem is, ok yes you can work with me, but there should not be a problem to begin with especially if it is an orange error. So, if AT&T is coming back, halleluya!!! They are worth the wait!.
This is crazy. I am so sick of the Cingular name and would much prefer the ATT brand any day.