MARKETING STRATEGIES TO SUCCESSFULLY SELL VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL TO MAINSTREAM CANADIAN MARKETS

摘要

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is an emerging innovation which allows for low cost voice communications similar to conventional circuit-based telephone, but over the Internet either in part or in whole. Because VoIP uses the Internet as its transmission medium, it has the capacity to disrupt the more than $15 billion dollar per year Canadian local access and long distance telephone industry. While VoIP offers much potential for unique functionality, at its current level of advancement it underperforms conventional telephone in the areas of security, quality, and reliability. Everett M. Rogers' seminal work on the diffusion of innovations serves as useful theory to examine VoIP adoption within a population. Additionally, disruptive technology theory presented by Clayton M. Christensen and Geoffrey Moore's theory on marketing technology to mainstream customers is reviewed. Additional data and information was collected by completing semi-structured interviews of telecommunications industry stakeholders, plus through the completion of a focus group with early adopters of Internet communication technologies. This paper synthesizes fundamentals of diffusion, disruptive technology and marketing theory, plus data collected, to draw conclusions of how marketers of VoIP should proceed to sell their services to mainstream Canadian markets. While this paper's focus is Canada, its contents and recommendations will also be relevant to developed nations which have mature conventional telephone industries. Much of the literature reviewed discusses introduction of technologies within a social system. This information is also relevant to nations either building their first or enhancing existing telecommunications infrastructures to introduce new innovations and technologies.