AT&T named 'most valuable' telecom brand--huh?
The company has been named the most valuable global telecom brand, according to Millward Brown's BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2011. But remember, "valuable" does not mean "reliable" or "responsive."
In a bit of news that could drive some iPhone users to gnaw their own legs off at the knees, AT&T has been named the "world's most valuable telecom brand," according to Millward Brown's BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2011 study. Not since Marisa Tomei's Oscar victory or President Obama's early win of the Nobel Peace Prize has an accolade generated such an immediate "huh?".
It's not a Watergate-caliber scoop that
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Of course, "most valuable" doesn't mean "most reliable" or "most satisfactory." In the case of AT&T's network struggles over the last few years, "most valuable" also doesn't mean "most likely to prevent thousands of insanely frustrated iPhone users from hurling themselves naked and on fire off of buildings in Cupertino." We're talking money and global influence on the Brandz list, which is derived from both financial performance and interviews of consumers about their perceptions of brands and why they go with one over another.
To be fair, AT&T's value is not based solely on its hosting of iPhone service--and the overall network capacity appears to have improved over the last year. But to me, this victory lap for AT&T ranks up there with such unexpected accolades as Mel Gibson's Tolerance Trophy and my win for 2010's Top Male Model. What's your experience been like with AT&T?