use there is usually a large ratio of non-customers to customers for many years. However, as the market matures this emphasis needs to change. The market is no longer just a mass of non-customers; there are many existing customers out there as well. Our redefinition of the role of marketing says that this group should not be focused only on sending messages to the non-customers (the transaction model), but must be equally responsible for sending messages to the current customers. In other words, marketing, through the use of advertising media, has as much responsibility for churn prevention as customer service or any other group. Focus On the Customer's Impressions But how can the marketing organization hope to have an impact on the churn rate? Marketing is about bringing in customers. What kind of role can it play in driving the loyalty of consumers? Actually, there are several roles marketing can play. The marketing organization will need to start concerning itself with understanding exactly how consumers (both existing and potential consumers) feel eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook about the company in terms of those factors that are likely to increase churn. Until now, marketing organizations have focused the majority of their research on consumer awareness and name recognition, but have invested little in understanding how consumers feel about the provider in terms of the major churn issues. Is the company perceived as a high priced/low value provider? Does it have a reputation for poor customer service or poor network quality? How well does the company's advertising combat those kinds of media messages? Market research has shown that consumers sometimes react more strongly to the reputation than to the facts. The fact that you are the low-cost provider is not very important if the competitor's advertising has your customers convinced that you are high-priced. As the market matures and as churn becomes more of a factor, it becomes critical that the marketing organization begins to und