WorldCom targets digital generation

<p>HONG KONG: WorldCom - the world's second-largest </p><p>tele-communications company after AT&T - has rolled out a regional </p><p>campaign to shift the market's perception of its operation away from </p><p>voice to data and internet services. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The company had spent the past two years quietly building its Asian </p><p>operation. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The series of television and print ads aim to differentiate the company </p><p>from its rivals by featuring staff members who are comfortable with the </p><p>technology. WorldCom Asia-Pacific corporate communications manager, </p><p>Rowena Kwok, said: "Technology is advancing at such a fast pace that it </p><p>could be overwhelming to people. So conveying a message that we are at </p><p>the cutting edge and comfortable with it is extremely important." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In seeking to establish brand differentiation amid the crowded telecoms </p><p>category, WorldCom has hooked its campaign around the "generation d" </p><p>idea - the so-called digital generation. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We really need to differentiate ourselves. The objective is to draw a </p><p>line to separate ourselves from our competitors and at the same time </p><p>position ourselves as a next generation company," Kwok said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Last year, WorldCom, which is part of US long distance company MCI, </p><p>merged with UUNET, a leading internet protocol company, to create the </p><p>new organisation. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Reflecting the merger, Kowk said the execution of the campaign also </p><p>merged the old with the new; "a question of combining versatility and </p><p>reliability with knowledge and know-how". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Aimed at management and IT managers involved in making data decisions </p><p>for their companies, the campaign was produced by New York-based </p><p>Messner/Euro. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The ads, which rolled out last week, are running on the internet and </p><p>pan-regional television and print media. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>