Wireless Company Mixes Liberal Politics With Business

Foxnews.com ^ | December 16, 2009 | Stephen Clark

[I still care]

A San Francisco-based wireless company is unabashedly mixing its liberal political activism with business, a strategy that has won the praise of President Obama but not the confidence of marketing analysts.

A San Francisco-based wireless company is working liberal political activism into its business plan in a unabashedly partisan marketing strategy that experts say could catch on in today's polarized culture -- but also could alienate many potential customers.

The company, CREDO, even boasts that it has the support of President Obama as it markets itself as an agent of social change. It pitches its mobile phone services with a vow to fight for "real" health care reform, free speech, peace and the environment.

[I still care]

Thought this was interesting. For a wireless company, unless you operate only in SF, I don't see this a winning strategy.

I only see it working if you are dealing with a item that is used mostly by polarized people, such as carbon credits or such. Ben and Jerrys has been doing this to some extent for years, and I think it has held them back.

I remember going to thair Vermont center years ago when I was a political newbie, and being confused by a sign on the wall stating they gave a portion of profit to support gay marriage.

[wmileo]

"CREDO may not be interested in winning over enough customers to be an industry leader "

Sounds like the same business plan used by ABC,NBC, CBS, CNN when covering the news as opposed to FOX who actually covers the news.

[RWGinger]

Great analogy
I am betting the lefty whacko company doesn’t care and as long as they don’t have stockholders to answer to it won’t matter

I wish them the same thing I wish for odumbo

[Nick Danger]

unless you operate only in SF, I don't see this a winning strategy.

Perhaps not, but it's a great survival strategy in a world where the Other Guys are things the size of AT&T and Verizon. You're right: they'll never amount to all that much, but they weren't going to anyway. This way they all get nice salaries, some fancy offices, and the right to continue to call themselves "telecommunications executives."

These same guys have been doing this for years as "Working Assets Long Distance," an also-ran 3rd-party long-distance telephone provider that positioned itself as the Liberal Do-Gooder of telephone companies. They've been at it since 1985, so the strategy does work, where "work" means that the guys running the company have made some cushy jobs for themselves when they might otherwise be selling Droids in a Verizon store.

[Fred Hayek]

vow to fight for “real” health care reform, free speech, peace and the environment.

Free speech? From a far leftist? Riiiiiight!