Vodafone Simply marketing at its finest

Yes, the title was supposed to be a pun. =P A short while ago, I noticed that the Vodafone Simply handset had been released in New Zealand, and I was going to write about it. However, I just read this The Feature article: Segmentation, Simply and it conveys exactly how I feel about the matter, so I will refer you onto that instead!

Basically, I think that a handset like this has been long overdue, and I know that other firms have tried (and are still trying) to specifically target mobile phones toward young children and older age groups. However, Vodafone is the company that actually has the brand awareness, global reach & resources, and general marketing 'clout' to drive the mass-market penetration of these devices. I know so many people for whom the 'Simply' phone would be perfect, but already have a perfectly functioning mobile - what if Vodafone offered a discounted trade-in scheme to encourage switching? Not only would it make the users' lives easier, it may also help convert Telecom users...

Speaking of Vodafone, their 'free txt weekends' campaign was a much-needed counter to Telecom's $10 txt - you could even say that it's overdue. The 'thumb tribe' demographic (which I guess I'm actually part of) is fickle and purely driven by cost/value; a whole wave of my friends switched to Telecom for $10 txt. Now, I know that at least one of these people have switched back to Vodafone for free txt weekends. I wonder what will be next in the 'txt wars'?