NTL&Chorus to UPC - Most protracted re-branding exercise EVER!?

Is it just me, or is anyone else finding the Chorus&NTL to UPC rebrand far too long and very confusing ?

When Telecom Eireann re-branded as eircom, it was a short, sharp, shock technique and within a few months, everyone had forgotten the old brand and was referring to eircom, as ... eircom.

However, with UPC there seems to be a very protracted dual-branding period which is just becoming confusing.

I have had people tell me that NTL is now available in Cork. I have also had people ask me if UPC was some kind of an internet scam, as when they go to sign up to chorus, they get referred to UPC.ie and are afraid to put in their personal details.

I could understand dual-branding for a few months, but this is turning into years.

Does anyone else agree that this is potentially damaging their marketing?

It just seems a bit stupid to be such a chaotic mess of brand, when you're up against Sky, which is one of the best and most recognisable brands out there. Also, on the telephony and broadband front they're primarily up against eircom and BT, again two very very strong brands. Even the smaller broadband and telephony providers are big brands e.g. Vodafone, Smart, Perilco, UTV etc.

Also, I don't think UPC are getting their digital products 'out there' in the way Sky is.

Just to give you an example, Chorus/NTL (A UPC company) occasionally has a crappy looking stand in Paul Street SC in Cork. This looks like something you'd use to promote a new brand of rashers or something. Small, poorly branded, poorly constructed, very low impact and rather tatty.

Meanwhile, Sky has stands in other shopping centres around the city that look like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

Which do you think is more eye catching?

Perhaps a few snazzy shopping centre displays might be a good idea? Let people actually play around with the DVR and see that it's for real and more importantly, let people surf the web on UPC broadband and compare the speed to what they have at home.

I just find UPC Ireland's marketing generally rather pathetic. It's almost like they're trying to fail!

I'm not saying this because I have any particular love of UPC, rather I have seen the cable sector in Ireland stumble from one disaster to another over the years and it has damaged the communications industry immensely here by leaving most of us in the clutches of eircom when it comes to getting access to high speed broadband.

I also don't fancy the prospect of an Irish TV market 100% dominated by BSkyB!

Cable has driven broadband in other markets and it should do here too. I would just hate to see UPC flopping, because of something simple like failing to 'get' how well marketed and incredibly well branded Sky Ireland (and UK) is.