Visible is getting physical with marketing methods

Despite its name, Visible, a new mobile phone service based in Denver, has largely flown under the radar since its launch in May 2018.

But this month, the company is trying to change that with a big marketing campaign in its hometown.

“It has been challenging, and not only from a marketing standpoint. How do you break through as a new brand?” said Minjae Ormes, the company’s chief marketing officer.

Visible is an all-digital carrier that runs on the Verizon network. It offers a single unlimited everything plan for a flat $40 per month, all fees included. There are no multi-page contracts, no long-term commitments and no physical stores.

Simplicity and cost savings are designed to appeal to young adults on the go. And while digital ads might seem to be the best way to reach digital natives, Visible, having tried that, is going old school with a campaign of billboards, radio spots and print ads (including in The Denver Post).

“Traditional media are an innovative way to reach them,” Ormes said. “The lack of physicality demands we have to find some ways to be more tangible and show up in people’s lives.”

Visible has put a variety of messages around town on about 150 billboards. But a handful, including one above the Ocenaire Seafood Room at 1400 Arapahoe St., offered unlimited “massages,” minutes and data.

It should have said messages. An embarrassing mistake, a sloppy proofreader, an open door for trolls?

Visible claims the error is by design. But to make things right, it will provide a mea culpa — a free massage event at Denver Union Station from 2-7 p.m. on Saturday.

It doesn’t get more physical than providing potential customers a free back rub, or feeding them. The company also plans to give away 500 meals per day over 12 days in the near future.

An estimated 60 million consumers, out

of 340 million total, switch their telecom carriers each year, and Verizon launched Visible to tackle the problem of churn.

By offering a simpler, no strings attached model, Visible hopes to get cellular flippers to settle down. And as an independent startup, Visible can market itself with a creative flair that a legacy carrier would struggle to pull off.

But will the campaign connect with consumers, especially the younger demographic that Visible is targeting?

Theresa Conley, an associate professor in the marketing department at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business, questions whether the campaign might be too clever for its own good.

“What do massages have to do with your cellphone? It is a pretty big stretch they are trying to bridge,” she said.

Visible has created a different kind of brand with a youthful vibe in what is a commodity-based service, she said. But she argues the company should play it straight.

“If they are about simplicity and clarity, that is what their marketing strategy should emulate,” she said. Chipotle Mexican Grill, which put a picture of a burrito wrapped in foil on its billboards, offers a case study.

Ormes, who worked at the video-sharing service YouTube before joining Visible, said the “baby brand” is trying to do something different to set itself apart in a crowded field.

“We have to be more punchy,” she said. “We poked fun at ourselves.”

At the very least, the hope is people will see the misspelling and be curious and pay attention.

“We are not too precious about it,” Ormes said. “We know we are trying to sell you something and convince you of something. We are trying to cut through a lot of the noise.”