Cordless Advertising Up, But Not In 900MHz

Niagara Falls, Ontario — Cordless phone dealers increased their total advertising activity by 7.4 percent during the first 10 months of the year, compared to the year-ago period, according to a Beyen International survey of advertising in more than 90 U.S. newspapers and catalogs.

The ad push was centered squarely around 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz products, which accounted for a combined 89 percent of all cordless phones advertised through October, compared to only 80 percent during the same period in 2003, Beyen found.

The gigahertz technologies were advertised 19 percent more frequently in 2004 vs. the year-ago period, while 900MHz ad activity fell 40 percent during that time.

Retailers placed an average of 7,436 ads per month during the 10-month 2004 period on behalf of gigahertz technology vs. an average of 946 for 900MHz. In 2003 during that period, dealers averaged 6,211 ads per month on behalf of gigahertz technology versus 1,591 for 900MHz.

Here were some other findings:

Average Prices: The averaged advertised price for the 10-most-advertised 900MHz phones through September was $28, while the top-10 gigahertz phones were advertised for an average of $58.

Brands: In the popular 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz frequencies, the most heavily promoted brands through the 12 months ending September were Panasonic, General Electric (owned by Thomson), VTech, Uniden, AT&T (owned by VTech) and Motorola.

These six brands accounted for roughly 87 percent of total advertised phones, Beyen noted. Panasonic claimed the lion's share with 26 percent of all ad space, while its closet competitor, General Electric, had an approximate 15 percent share.

The story was closely mirrored in 900MHz where General Electric, Uniden, Panasonic and VTech topped the list

Top Models: The most advertised cordless phone the 12 months ending September 2004 in the 2.4GHz/5.8GHz frequency was a GE model, the 27998GE-6. It's a 2.4GHz analog unit with caller ID and ITAD for an average advertised price of $39.99.

VTech had the most promoted 900MHz phone through the same period. It was the VT-9127 analog 900MHz with caller ID, for an average advertised price of $16.38.

Retailers: CE and office dealers were the most aggressive print advertisers for 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz technology, with Best Buy leading the pack with nearly 34 percent of all ad space for the 12 months ending September 2004, followed by Circuit City with 10 percent.

In the lower-cost 900MHz segment the retailers were more varied. Drug store chain Walgreens led the pack with an 18 percent share of ad space in the same period. Best Buy and Target ranked second and third with nearly 17 percent and 14 percent of ad share, respectively.