City of Dallas Sends 400 iPhones to CEOs
Bloomberg is reporting that the city of Dallas is sending 400 iPhones to CEOs across the country in an effort to get them to relocate their businesses to Dallas. The Dallas Regional Chamber is footing the $250,000 bill for the scheme. Says Bloomberg, “Each phone contains an application with customized information about the city and messages from Leppert and other CEOs. The phone also comes with contact numbers and links to a Web site with additional information. … The city plans to follow up delivery of the phones with calls and emails from the mayor and others.”
Initially, I thought this giveaway was insane. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it might be genius. First, you only need a success rate of .2 percent for this program to pay for itself. Second, the program is so goofy that it’s sure to be picked up by news outlets all over. Essentially, you’ve bought a national ad — in newspapers and on TV — for $250k.
Here’s a guess, though. If I’m the CEO of Behemoth Corp., chances are I’ve got a BlackBerry. BlackBerries have traditionally been the smart phone of choice for big business because they work better with exchange servers, and IT guys are more comfortable with them (even though the iPhone is clearly superior). So I get this iPhone. I’m not going to carry two phones. I think it’s cute. I give it to my assistant (because my kids and wife already have iPhones). My assistant, who also uses a BlackBerry, uses his new iPhone strictly for sexting and playing Super Mario Cart or whatever. Then one day he gets a call from Mayor Leppert. Um, what happens next?
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Spot on analysis. While this is definitely an attention grabbing gift, it’s yet another that just will get swept under the mat. To get the ‘big’ ones, they need to see where it helps them in their bottom line. This is a good conversation starter, but they need numbers to really get their attention. Hopefully they have that information ready as well. I do agree with the expenditure though. Expensive investment, but it’s the right time.
Is the preset ringtone going to be the theme song from Dallas?
Average cost = $625. Seems like a waste of $250k.
And what’s worse is that new fancy iPhone 3.1 software update broke the exchange link for a lot of users.
http://bit.ly/2eniqq
Getting businesses to relocate to Dallas gets harder and harder when we cannot keep libraries open, fund parks adequately, operate multimillion $ fountains in Fair Park, and pave the streets properly. All the cute iphone promotions will not make up for shoddy a city environment no matter what Tom Leppert and John Crawford think.
“Getting business to relocated to Dallas gets harder and harder.”
Well, AT&T, Comerica, among others relocating to Dallas or downtown Dallas kinda refutes that argument.
Say what you will about the iPhone, it probably beats a generic Chamber letter that would have gotten lost in the mail room at any of these corporate mail rooms.
Is the city paying for the calling plan too?
“Getting businesses to relocate to Dallas gets harder and harder when we cannot keep libraries open, fund parks adequately, operate multimillion $ fountains in Fair Park, and pave the streets properly.”
And those are all things that business don’t really care about that much.
Try crime, education, and tax rates for the win.
“…(even though the iPhone is clearly superior)…”
Typing on glass.
You crack me up, Rogers.
This is not about giving everyone an iPhone to use.
When you’re in the sales business, and the Mayor and these other organizations are in the sales business to an extent, you send gifts with sales packages and info.
Of course, such a promo is not going to get you a sale (in this case a relocation) by itself, but it’s an icebreaker and shows some initiative.
In the DMN article, DowntownDallas says “more than 50 companies, including Tenet Healthcare Corp., Capital One Financial Corp. and AT&T Inc., have moved to Dallas in the past two years.”
Apparently, the Mayor and these groups are doing something right.
Larissa: cool idea. noted
Brilliant…..when they move here we can have a happy hour and all exchange info via ‘bump’ app.
“Hello, Dallas Regional Chamber? Steven Soderbergh here. You might know me from a movie that I directed a couple years ago? Yeah, I’d like that gimmick back, you know, the one where you send a trojan horse to the CEO in the guize of a prized cell phone. Yeah, that’s the one. I know, it wasn’t as good as 11 but better than 12. Everyone says that, yes. No, you can’t have the girl from The Girlfriend Experience instead. Okay? Thanks. Bye.”
Dallasite…….
While crime is down, education in DISD is certainly an issue. Relocating businesses care about both, as you say. However when Boeing was considering Dallas as HQ, cultural and urban environment were issues.
Interesting sales pitch. Definitely agree that Dallas is basically buying some national press on this one. Also, beyond the Blackberry argument, it’s not like 99% these executives pay for their own existing service or would even bat an eye at buying a new cell phone.