The telco war and knowing how to CHOOSE BETTER
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
I couldn’t help but recall this saying as I quietly observe the latest developments on the ongoing (and never ending) telco war.
As of late, I just noticed that Sun Cellular has been quite forward on its attacks against Globe Telecom. They seem to have been making not-so-subtle snipes against the leading telco in the country in hopes of probably luring old and new subscribers away from Globe.
I happened to chance upon a couple of sites just like this one, who have noticed the same thing. That’s why I decided to throw in my two cents on this issue.
Sun Cellular, which everyone knows is also owned by Smart, seems to be more busy criticizing and being critical of Globe’s own promos and upcoming events rather than just focusing on improving their own offerings.
Such has been the method of attack of both sister companies, it seems.
There was one instance back then when Smart called Globe Telecom President and CEO, Ernest Cu, uncouth by deliberately skewing the message of a speech Mr. Cu gave during an event. Remember that?
Now, with their “Choose Better” campaign, Sun Cellular seems to be implying that Globe’s offerings are somewhat inferior to theirs.
Taglines on Sun’s print ads with “Why settle for ‘WONDERFUL’ when you can be AWESOME?” are just some of the quips targeted against Globe and its subscribers (The word, “wonderful”, is a well known tagline associated with Globe).
Now, it seems that finding an Ernest Cu look-alike and including him in Sun Cellular’s television ad is the company’s latest tactic, as can be seen here:
Notice how the Ernest Cu look-alike also blurts out the word, “Wonderful”, in one of those scenes.
Even one of Sun Cellular’s TV ad includes another Ernest Cu look-alike with a supposed quote coming from him saying (you guessed it!), “Wonderful!!!”.
The name of the look-alike in the ad? “Ernesto”. Honest coincidence? I think not.
While some of these methods may well be considered “fair game”, some aren’t quite as subtle and indirect.
One of the more recent swipes that Globe has received from Sun Cellular is from their barrage of orchestrated and synchronized online posts discouraging people from buying tickets to Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour in Manila, saying that the price you will be shelling out to watch the Queen of Pop isn’t worth it (For those who aren’t aware, Globe Telecom is the major presenter of said concert). In truth, they are merely coaxing people to subscribe to Sun’s promos instead.
Whether this kind of approach borders on being illegal is something I’m not quite sure of, but it is in most cases frowned upon. Whatever happened to actually working your ass off, coming up with better ways to serve your customers instead of resorting to finding all sorts of fault in others?
Well, Sun Cellular probably thinks that this kind of tactic works. And maybe it does – sometimes. But, it generally doesn’t do them any good, in my opinion, because I personally think it shows more about one’s own negative character rather than doing damage to the other.
With the relentless flurry of attacks from Sun and Smart, Globe Telecom has clearly chosen better by remaining to keep quiet, constantly churning out promos and innovative offerings instead of opting to sling mud back at the competition. Taking the higher ground seems to be paying off well. No pun intended. ;)
I guess the reason why I, as with most of you, find this rivalry very interesting is because it has two of the most important elements needed to make up a worthwhile story – an antagonist and an underdog. Think David and Goliath, Popeye and Bluto, and Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed. In this case, Sun (or Smart for that matter) seems to be playing the role of the antagonist pretty well. Globe, on the other hand, is looking more and more like the bullied underdog in the ongoing saga.
The bully and the underdog… classic, right?
If this thing keeps up, we all know how these kinds of stories end in the movies as well as in real life.
People know how to choose better
Like I said… desperate times, desperate measures.
Perhaps losing subscribers and declining revenue is forcing Smart to take the less desirable route. But one need not go that avenue at all. And no one really should, if you ask me… because it’s tasteless. Also, because it clearly isn’t the better choice.
Your services alone should be good enough to lure people in – and keep them in your fold. Because in the end, you really can’t fool the market. It eventually all boils down to what you can offer and not about the faults and shortcomings of others.
To paraphrase Kevin Costner’s line in the movie, Field of Dreams… “If you build it, they (the customers) will come.” It’s that simple. Globe has understood this concept long ago, which explains why they continue to build new promo packages and interesting offerings.
Ironically, for a company who insists that its market should “choose better”, Sun Cellular (and Smart) sadly appears to be making all the wrong choices where marketing strategy is concerned.
So, please… spare us consumers the childish finger-pointing and unnecessary bashing. Customers aren’t stupid, let alone gullible. We do know how to choose better. Stick to improving services instead and trust the market to make the better choice themselves.
September 21, 2015 @ 9:56 AM
Hi Chuckie. I’ve been subscribing to your blog since 2013, and I find your entries really informative. Thank you for that. I would normally just read your entries, but this entry on the telco war compelled me to comment. While I agree with you that Sun’s (or Smart’s) tactics are somewhat unnecessary, childish, and uncalled for, we can’t also ignore the fact that Globe has been (and continues to be) in some pretty messed-up situations. I do commend them for their innovative offerings and promos, but if we talk about services (or certain services to be specific), I think they aren’t as superior. Remember the countless complaints on delayed text messages? How about the recent SIM swap scam, which involved some Globe subscribers? I think we should also address these issues before we talk about how superior their services are.
I’m a Smart subscriber, to be honest, but I was also a Globe subscriber before (in the early 2000s, if I remember correctly). I have experienced such inefficiencies from Globe as well (especially the text messages that don’t get delivered on time). After hearing the news on the SIM swap scam, I was honestly horrified, although I’m not a Globe subscriber. I found it really irresponsible on their part to not cross-check the accountholder before granting any request on new SIM by some “authorized” representative. My comments, though, are not to put Globe down or throw in more shade. In my opinion, they constantly come out with these promos to mislead the public about the issues they’re involved in. I just think that if we are to choose better promos, we should see first if they’re also delivering on the promise of better services. Promos or offerings don’t define good services alone. I just hope that before they constantly flood the market with these promos in hopes of enticing more customers to make a switch, they should fix first the issues they are involved in (fix technical issues, improve the security of their subscribers, improve customer service, etc.) I’m not saying these couldn’t happen to us Smart subscribers because it could. What I’m saying is that while Globe isn’t defending itself from the shades being throw in by its competitors, it isn’t taking the high road either. Just by constantly churning out promos after promos, the company, in my opinion, is just compensating for its lack of good services and compelling customers to turn a blind eye on the real issues it may or may not be addressing promptly.
I hope also that as a well-known blogger with such high impact on your readers, you would also try to tackle what Globe isn’t doing for its subscribers and not just the promos or offerings it provides. I do understand that bloggers are the new journalists nowadays, so they also have to practice fair play and fair reporting so as not to come off as mere PR machines of certain companies. You have such huge influence on your readers, and just harping on only the good things that Globe offers and not their incapabilities, you’re also unwittingly luring more people to make a switch to Globe without really understanding if it is, as what you claim, the better choice.
I do like their promo on the Madonna concert, though.
Thank you and apologies for the long comment. Violent reactions and bashing from your readers are welcome.
September 21, 2015 @ 11:27 AM
Hi Chuck! My question is…how much? How much are you paid to do this? :D
September 21, 2015 @ 11:46 AM
It’s funny how people think everything is paid and nothing is ever said out of sincerity. Perhaps this telco war has made most of us jaded? I have been a Globe subscriber for more than 10 years already. Yes, I have my share of concerns and problems every now and then, but nothing that can’t be resolved.
Maybe you should throw the question of money to the multitude of bloggers squatting on the other side of the fence who hit with uncanny synchronicity.
Thanks for dropping by, Jocel. Cheers! :)
September 21, 2015 @ 2:08 PM
Hi Jocel,
How much do you think is Sun willing to pay endorsers to bash competition? :)
September 21, 2015 @ 12:15 PM
Kadiri ang tactics ng Sun… hahahaha
September 21, 2015 @ 12:22 PM
Totally agree with this, “Ironically, for a company who insists that its market should “choose better”, Sun Cellular (and Smart) sadly appears to be making all the wrong choices where marketing strategy is concerned.”
Have you seen the latest thing SUN tweeted?
“Mas #NextLevelKa with non-stop access to Hay Day for one month: http://bit.ly/non-stopsurf ”
https://twitter.com/suncelldeals/status/645230937891020800
LOWEST OF THE LOW.
September 21, 2015 @ 12:26 PM
What happened to Smart Life? Di ba effective kaya SUN is resorting to Choose Better?
September 21, 2015 @ 12:39 PM
I don’t know what in the world the marketing folks at sun are thinking. They’re wasting money on advertising that can easily be suspended by the ASC.
And choose better is an irony in itself. I myself am a sun subscriber, yet I couldn’t even get a full bar’s signal in my own home when i had to move to a different address. pfft. just waiting for my contract to end.
September 21, 2015 @ 1:29 PM
I agree. The attacks are bordering personal levels in my opinion. Good luck with the rest of your contract. :)
September 21, 2015 @ 12:48 PM
MCDO versus JOLLIBEE but we never heard either of them say, “Mas masarap ang manok ko”. Sorry it may not be 100% appropriate to compare but please SUN or Smart stop the dirty tactics. Makes advertising funny but hey, look, it will not make either of your service BETTER.
Prove to the consumers you are BETTER, SUN.
September 21, 2015 @ 1:32 PM
Hahaha! “Mas masarap ang manok ko”. LOL! But yeah… Those are classic long-standing rivalries and yet they remain classy. Ika nga, “Wala namang personalan, pare…” :)
September 21, 2015 @ 2:28 PM
Hi Chuckie, just needed to drop by and commend you on this. Sun’s tactics have really surprised me, and I lost a lot of respect for them. I get that it’s a competition, I get that it’s a constant fight for consumers, but then why resort to such dirty strategies? Kaninong integrity ang kelangang i-question dito – the people who came up with the strategy, the people who approved it, or the people buying into it? None of the telcos are perfect, pero Smart and Globe have always known how to keep the competition friendly and respectful, if a little fierce sometimes. What Sun is doing isn’t advertising anymore, it’s bordering on slander. And isn’t using the face and name of Ernest Cu, even though it only /looks/ like him and doesn’t use the last name, actually grounds for a libel case?
Sun’s tactics feel very juvenile, like when popular kids in grade school or high school would gossip to others about other popular people just to get ahead in the pseudo-social circle of the school. I feel like Sun’s efforts would be better spent trying to actually better their services instead of trying to drag Globe down with them. Kudos to Globe for not sinking to their level. They at least are working at improving – alam nila na in the end, actions will speak louder than words.
September 21, 2015 @ 3:38 PM
it’s always so much easier to do this kind of thing, to hit where they think it hurts, or to talk trash about something or someone else. not only is this kind of tactic childish, it’s lazy. they’re not even thinking up new things for themselves anymore, they’re just looking at what globe is putting out and attaching their name to it so they can benefit from globe’s hard work. did you see when they used globe’s “#NextLevelKa” hashtag and “#FreeFBFreeViber” hashtag to be noticed? you know what else attaches to something else in order to live? leeches. leeches are parasites. Sun is leeching off of Globe’s popularity in the hopes that people will notice them. that’s just lazy and parasitic.
September 21, 2015 @ 3:43 PM
Grabe talaga ang Sun, Sir Chuckie! You’re right – they sound so desperate and so starved for attention. Hindi naman kasalanan ng Globe na maskonti ang subscribers ng Sun, di ba? Bakit hindi ayusin na lang ng Sun ang services nila instead of wasting time trashing the ACTUAL LEADING TELCO in the country? May resources daw sila, di ba? Bakit hindi gamitin sa pagaayos imbis na sa pambabasura?
September 21, 2015 @ 3:47 PM
I think Sun is just trying to drag Globe down into the trash with them. Sobrang KSP ng Sun, grabe. I think they know na hindi sila kasing kilala ng tao kaya nagiingay sila, pero ang dumi naman ng tactics nila, so para saan pa ang ingay nila? Lumalabas lang ang tunay na kulay nila bilang kontrabida, imbis na matuwa ang mga tao, pinagtatawanan lang nila ang pagka-KSP ng Sun Cellular
September 21, 2015 @ 3:50 PM
Oo nga, Sir Chuckie, buti pa ang Globe nananahimik lang! Hindi porket maingay ibig sabihin magaling. Desperado lang ang Sun dahil alam nilang sobrang pinagiiwanan na sila, pati ng kapatid nilang si Smart. Pati mukha and pangalan ng president ng Globe kelangan nilang puntiryahin? Hindi ba sila pwedeng kasuhan ng libel dahil dyan? Alam kasi siguro ni MVP na kasinungaling lahat ng claims ng Sun kaya ayaw niyang gamitin siya as affirmation.
September 21, 2015 @ 4:04 PM
You’re right, Sir Chuckie! Globe is taking the high road by saying nothing directly to or about Sun and keeping to themselves. Alam nila na their work will speak for themselves. Buti pa ang Globe, they know to use their efforts in continuing to serve their customers and continue to improve, instead of wasting time trying to bring other people down. I’m on Globe’s side on this one!
September 21, 2015 @ 4:07 PM
Hit the nail on the head, Chuckie! Sun is definitely being a bully, pero that doesn’t mean na Globe is playing the victim. They’re letting their actions do the talking for them, kasi yon ang talagang importante! Right now, Sun is like a fly buzzing around Globe’s ear, pero hanggang hawi lang ang ginagawa nila kasi may mas importante silang priority, which is their customers.
September 22, 2015 @ 1:15 PM
Marcel, is THIS is taking the high road? Saw three blog post all with the same theme. Globe is mum so they let bloggers like Chuckie do their dirty work. Just saying.
September 22, 2015 @ 1:50 PM
Hasn’t it occured to you that maybe I wasn’t the only one who noticed what has been happening online? So, if 3 or more blog posts come out with a similar topic, it automatically means that it’s orchestrated by Globe? C’mon now, man.
So, say for example… if 3 or more people write about bad food in a particular restaurant, that means it’s automatically black propaganda? Of course not. That’s called CORROBORATION.
If you happen to be from Smart (which I’m assuming you most probably are), then this might be a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Evil doers – evil thinkers, I suppose.
Also… You might want to check out a post coming from a blog that is closely associated with Smart. Even they have noticed the same thing: http://www.unbox.ph/editorials/sun-continues-subtle-offensive-against-globe-with-new-tvc/
Listen. It’s not “dirty work” if you’re calling things as it is.
September 21, 2015 @ 4:11 PM
“Your services alone should be good enough to lure people in.” Tama! And Globe knows that, kaya they’re not firing back. They don’t need to sink to that level, alam naman nila na yung customers ang priority. Great article, Chuckie, I’ll be sure to share with friends!
September 21, 2015 @ 5:14 PM
I don’t know what in the world the marketing folks at sun are thinking. Sun is definitely being a bully, pero that doesn’t mean na Globe is playing the victim. They’re letting their actions do the talking for them, kasi yon ang talagang importante.
September 21, 2015 @ 6:34 PM
hey! don’t just copy-paste my comment like that! :D
September 21, 2015 @ 5:16 PM
Globe is taking the high road by saying nothing directly to or about Sun and keeping to themselves. Hindi naninira ang globe gumagawa sila ng strategy para mas mabigyan ng maayos na service sa mga subscribers nila.
September 21, 2015 @ 5:19 PM
Sun’s tactics have really surprised me, and I lost a lot of respect for them. I get that it’s a competition, I get that it’s a constant fight for consumers, but then why resort to such dirty strategies? Dapat iimprove na lang service nila wag na lang sila manira.
September 21, 2015 @ 5:23 PM
they sound so desperate and so starved for attention. Hindi naman kasalanan ng Globe na maskonti ang subscribers ng Sun, di ba? Bakit hindi ayusin na lang ng Sun ang services nila instead of wasting time sa paninira sa Globe.
September 21, 2015 @ 5:27 PM
I think Sun is just trying to drag Globe down into the trash with them. Sobrang KSP ng Sun, grabe. I think they know na hindi sila kasing kilala ng tao kaya nagiingay sila, pero ang dumi naman ng tactics nila,
September 22, 2015 @ 1:13 PM
Globe doesn’t own “wonderful”. It’s an adjective for crying out loud. This is just like the TALINO LOAD that Globe did a few years back. Same dirty trick. Just my two cents.
September 22, 2015 @ 1:37 PM
No one ever said that Globe owns the word “wonderful”. It is a word that is associated with the brand. How in the world did that pop up in your head? :)
September 23, 2015 @ 10:40 AM
Saying that no one owns “wonderful” is a lame excuse, especially when it’s NOT the only tactic that Sun employs to “subtly” fire against Globe. They’ve used Globe’s visual cues in their newest commercial (darks and purples, denim and leather clothing, sleek, polished look), and have hijacked Globe’s other hashtags (They have a tweet that says “Mas #NextLevelKa kapag…” to promote their own gaming deal, and of course #NextLevelKa is DEFINITELY owned by Globe). Globe is hashtagging the word “wonderful,” probably in an effort to show Sun that they know what Sun is doing.
September 23, 2015 @ 4:22 PM
You’re right – they sound so desperate and so starved for attention! Problema na ng SUN kung onti ang subscribers nila. Labas na GLOBE dun hello!? Eh kung inayos na lang ng SUN ang services nila edi may pakinabang pa kesa naninira sila ng mga matatassas na telco? Tsk oh cmon!
September 23, 2015 @ 4:52 PM
Grabe ang SUN! Proud pa talaga sila sa kabastusan nila! Talagang papangalandakan pa. Nakakaewan lang kayo. Napaka unprofessional!
September 27, 2015 @ 11:27 PM
http://smartbehindthescenes.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=3&m=1
September 28, 2015 @ 10:49 AM
Nice one sir Chuckie! Tama po kayo!!
Alam niyo, Sun Cellular, buti sana kung wala kayong binabasura at sinisiraan, medyo marerespeto ko pa ang efforts niyo na makakuha ng bagong customers. Pero ngayon, nanggagago na lang kayo, akala niyo nakakatuwa kayo pero sa totoo lang, diring-diri ang mga tao sa gawain niyo!