In the fight for the customer and their pocketbook, cable has been winning the fight through the triple play and cost benefits. But while that tactic has proven successful over the last few years, the battle lines are changing again. Product differentiation, in the form and quality of High Def channels, and the number of HD channels being offered to the home, is the new key win. As the cable channels are agnostic to the platform, the operators must tout the picture quality along with most number of HD channels to attract the customer base. And so the most recent in a series of lawsuits citing false advertising and misleading ads.
But this battle can't last long as each side continues to bulk up on HD programming and quality. Sure, HDTV sets are being sold like hotcakes, and the consumer buying these TV sets wants the most channels to play on them. Still, the long term win in the marketing battle shouldn't be numbers and quality. That should be automatic; the real battle should be at service. Overserve the customer. Fix the problems quickly by over delivering support. Most customers want all the technology in their homes, but they don't know how to assemble or integrate it. Be the geek squad. Make it part of the monthly subscription. Get to the home within 24 hours, not 3 days. Connect their wireless network, demand 24/7 reliability of the connection. Stay proactive. Put the customer first.
Yes HD matters; but the winner will be the one that delivers best service!
