McGee Vows to Stay the Course at AT&T
By MONICA HOGAN -- Multichannel News, 4/2/2001
Nancy McGee, newly named acting senior vice president of marketing and sales at AT&T Broadband, said last week that her department will continue to focus on its core goal of growing the business.
"We're staying the course," she said, adding that 90 percent of the marketing team's efforts are devoted to acquiring, retaining and upselling customers.
McGee, who also maintains the title vice president of sales and channels, reports directly to AT&T Broadband CEO Daniel Somers. She said the two executives have not yet discussed whether McGee will be considered as a permanent replacement for Doug Seserman, who left his post as the MSO's senior vice president of sales and marketing last week.
AT&T Broadband projects it will grow its revenue-generating digital cable, high-speed data and telephony units by 25 percent this year, compared to the net new additions gained in 2000.
The MSO has led the industry in signing digital-cable customers, passing the 3 million- customer milestone in the past several weeks.
But AT&T Broadband's fourth-quarter 2000 cash flow was down 13 percent over the same period in 1999, and video cash flow was off by 3 percent. Analysts generally like to see double-digit cash flow growth from MSOs.
Asked if she was being urged to pay more attention to growing the basic-cable business than the newer services, McGee responded, "It's all important. Growth is a good thing."
Earlier this year, the MSO's marketing department was changed from a product-based organization to a function-based, customer-driven unit, McKee said. The changes were similar to the ones made by the technology group, now led by chief technology officer Greg Braden.
When the company plans a new product line such as video-on-demand, McGee noted, marketers work closely with the engineering department and other operational units from the outset.
The corporate marketing department will also to continue to work closely with its system-level counterparts.
"We really have a model here where execution is the primary responsibility of the field," McGee said. "We want a hand-and-glove relationship."
Although some of her past job titles reflect her work in telephony, McGee said she's also comfortable with the video side of the cable business. She has a strong team with video experience, she added.
