topic Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising? in Plusnet Feedback

Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

jelv — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:52:13 GMT

Another user has raised the issue of the alleged £7.2M spend on the recent advertising campaigns and trying to make a totally spurious link to the charge being imposed for payment by cards.
Firstly I don't see why how much they have spent should be an issue for us. The campaigns have been ramping up over the last couple of years; they must be being successful in bringing in more users and be giving a net profit or Plusnet wouldn't be continuing with them. I've noted that the number of users online at any one time as shown by the performance graphs has doubled in the last couple of years or so - the campaigns must be working.
I think there is a valid debate to be had as to the timing of the campaigns - I've posted previously that I thought they should be scaled back until the support resources were ready to cope with the extra workload the new users bring. But I see no relevance in discussing the amount of the spend - that is a commercial matter just for Plusnet and their owners.

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

pierre_pierre — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:01:28 GMT

after being moaned at and making dubious claims, Which I tried to substantiate with google and got no where his thread was locked, then he went onto the announcement thread and did the same.

I challenged him and he has at last put up the source of his claim
I would blame it on him for his method of starting off threads and refusing to give a source, now at last we have it for this claim
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/and/Profile-Jamie-Ford-Going.6644802.jp

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Profile - Jamie Ford: Going in to bat for a company that has returned to its roots
30 November 2010

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BROADBAND and phone provider Plusnet has gone back to its Yorkshire roots.
As well as moving 100 jobs from a customer contact centre in South Africa to its Sheffield headquarters, it recently launched an aggressive £7m marketing campaign including a series of television adverts emphasising its Yorkshire heritage.

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

adamwalker — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:18:13 GMT

It goes without saying that you can discuss what you like on these forums. But I would add that discussing something that no figures or statistics have been published about would surely make discussing the matter very difficult indeed.
Do we not think this would lead to speculation rather than discussion?

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

James — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:25:49 GMT

It's worth bearing in mind that the £7m quoted figure is for an advertising campaign over a considerable period of time. But anyway, why shouldn't we? Isn't it in any company's interests to grow?
Jelv - I welcome your comments on timing, but would also assure you that we continue to grow internally at a continued rate and from monitoring the daily call and ticket volumes (which I do) and monitor the customer sat responses (which I also do), I haven't seen any downturn in performance apart from when we saw the silly white, fluffy stuff and also when we first brought all support back to Sheffield.
I think we in a decent place support wise, and continuing to make improvements, so I'm not massively concerned about the timing of the advertising. Besides, it's nice to see our name on telly

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

thisoldman — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:28:17 GMT

adam i am only interested in seeing a full discussion of the issues. your ceo has provided the figures to yorkshirepost.
i sincerely believe that there are concomitant implications of this amount of spending for we, the people who pay plusnet.
jelv hAs already expresed some concers. I would simply like to see a full discusiion by the members who, after all ...pay the bills.

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

adamwalker — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:33:39 GMT

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£7m quoted figure i

It's worth bearing in mind this is an arbitrary figure for the whole advertising campaign as James says so my point is that without understanding how this is broken down you might find this difficult to discuss.

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goes without saying that you can discuss what you like on these forums.

We cannot stop you from doing this so go for it.

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

VileReynard — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:37:12 GMT

Quote from: thisoldman
adam i am only interested in seeing a full discussion of the issues. your ceo has provided the figures to yorkshirepost.
i sincerely believe that there are concomitant implications of this amount of spending for we, the people who pay plusnet.
jelv hAs already expresed some concers. I would simply like to see a full discusiion by the members who, after all ...pay the bills.

We are not members of a club.
We are just customers and Plusnet seek to minimise their expenses and maximise their income.
It's called Capitalism.

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

Strat — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:39:42 GMT

It's called business

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

dvorak — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:41:10 GMT

and it'd be the same whichever mainstream ISP you went for

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

thisoldman — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:42:42 GMT

well tx you adam but before continuing i want to make it abundantly clear that i am simply interested in seeing, if possible, the views of plusnet subscribers.
i dont think anyone needs to argue about what you call the breakdown of figures, just the economic justification of spending such a sum at this time

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

Spider — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:50:45 GMT

I think we can discuss as much as we like, however the practical reality is that we are customers and as such unless we have some useful suggestions then the discussion is irrelevant.

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

hulls — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:30:50 GMT

I'm always a little bemused at discussions like this. In one respect, yes we can discuss what we like; Yes there's not a lot to gain without more information: No it might be considered none of our business how Plusnet (or Tesco, or Barclays) run their businesses, but on the other hand, those businesses are run (and profits earned) using our money.
However, I compare that with government (and particularly local government) spending, when all the arguments are turned on their heads. Authorities are now required to publish every single spend over £500, on the grounds that we're spending our customers' (the taxpeyers') money.
Isn't Plusnet merely spending our money? So why shouldn't they be required to publish how much they spend on running the business?
/runs and hides/

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

thisoldman — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:43:14 GMT

well hulls there are 3 niggles in my mind.
1 it will take a substantial increase in new members to recoup that sort of expenditure.
2. Is there enough money available to support the then increased demands on the service capacity, without resorting to more throttling etc etc

3. If the answers to these q are negative, will there soon be another price increase to raise the requisite funding to maintain the service.?

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

gleneagles — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:44:48 GMT

I Think you mean we can discuss most things and not what we like.
I Can think of a number of topics that would be removed from these boards if we started to discuss them !

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

David_W — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:57:53 GMT

I've seen the advert on t'telly, wouldn't say there were outstanding but reasonable enough and actually bring the PlusNet name to the masses. £7m for a large campaign to bring in new customers who then get hooked on the "hey look, referrals!!" so bring in new customers and good word of mouth for the vast majority of customers bringing in more customers etc. Advertising is generally an investment rather than a spend, you invest X amount in the hope of bringing in Y number of clients or to increase a companies profile. Don't think we have a right to moan at any cost of advertising, it's nothing to do with us (unless PN go bankrupt from spending too much cash on hiring Keria Knightly to advertise their products! Go on, hire Kiera, she's gorgeous and probably from Yorkshire).

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

thisoldman — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:00:18 GMT

lol you prefer her to the dog?

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

James — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:00:25 GMT

Actually Teddington, London.

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

David_W — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:04:55 GMT

London is in Yorkshire isn't it? I dunno, it's all up north from down ere so err, that a umm no on Keria being the new face of PN

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

pierre_pierre — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:12:06 GMT

you spoilt it James
I was going to say she lived in Richmond, and was born nearby

Re: Do users have any right to discuss Plusnet's spending on advertising?

Wheel_nut — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:34:05 GMT

YES We should be free to discuss what we please here. It is an open Forum moderated by its users and NOT regulated by PlusNet, BT or any opressive body.
However,
PlusNet is a wholly owned subsidiary of a PLC and although most of us are CUSTOMERS, very few are owners (shareholders) in the Company.
There is a mistaken belief abroad that Customers have rights similar to those enjoyed by MEMBERS of a Mutual Society. This is absurd.
If you are a Shareholder of the Holding compant (BT PLC) then take your objections to the AGM or write to Stocholder relations.
PlusNet can do what it likes with the revenue it takes for providing this service. If any Customer doesn't like like what PlusNet does with its revenue, he/she has two choices:

Find another ISP and migrate

Suck it up!

Edit: Typo