Posted on June 27, 2006 at 2:00 PM in @earthlink
Note: The below is an archived entry from Earthling, formerly EarthLink's official blog. The blog itself has been decommissioned and is no longer updated, and comments are trackbacks are no longer accepted.
Corporate Communications Manager Rosemary Jean-Louis sent me the following blog entry for Earthling on the recently-launched EarthLink store in Seattle:
"Last week I was in Seattle to help handle media relations for the launch of a first of its kind for EarthLink – a store. The new shop and upcoming ones are dubbed the EarthLink Tour. Next stop is San Francisco in July. These stores are open for about a month and are stocked with computers and phones hooked up to our DSL and Home Phone Service (also known as Line-powered Voice) and Helio cellphones so that people can try them out for themselves and learn more about how they work.
The Seattle store is on Third Avenue and Pike. In terms of how we usually market our products, it’s a unique move for us. We know that people still have a hard time understanding what VOIP or internet phone service is, let alone that a company like EarthLink offers it in several different forms. Some of our voice products work differently than what else is out there – like our Line-powered Voice service that works without any additional hardware (other than phones).
So we thought it would be useful to show people in person how it all works and what it would look like in their living room. It can be difficult figuring this stuff out over the phone or on the web, and without the actual equipment (or lack thereof) in front of you to see what it is we’re talking about. That component drew many folks through the doors.
I got the chance to talk to several of the people who ended up at the Seattle store. Like Eileen Smith. She was a DSL and home phone service customer already. After she got an ad in the mail about the store, she decided to come in on her lunch hour just to ask a store employee some questions. She said talking to a store rep was really helpful.
Cathy T. at the EarthLink store in Seattle
Another visitor, J. Guzman, was drawn by our street teams handing out promotional cards that invited her to come in and try stuff out. She’s now considering DSL and Home Phone Service and said she wouldn’t have before if she hadn’t been able to come into a physical place and talk to somebody."
Comments
great idea. what is the tour scheule. any east coast cities?
Posted by mary weah | June 27, 2006 4:55 PM
Hi Mary Weah,
Thanks for the compliment. We have launched a new store in San Francisco this week. We are planning to expand the coverage area of DSL and Home Phone Service in the upcoming months. So stay tuned.
Posted by R'Jae | July 11, 2006 12:22 PM
where's the SF store?
thanks!
Craig
Posted by Craig Newmark | July 14, 2006 1:23 AM
Hi Craig,
It's at One Front Street.
If you stop by the store I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Posted by Dave Coustan | July 14, 2006 7:36 AM