January 23, 2007 | posted by Michael Baxter in IABN |

Next month is an important period for NTL. That’s when its new name - Virgin media - will be pushed down the public’s throat, and it’s when the marketing of the fourplay concept (that’s TV, broadband, and fixed and mobile telephony,) kicks off.

When this plan was first announced many critics questioned whether there was a need for the fourplay option at all. They argued that the choice of TV, broadband and fixed line telecomms company was a family choice, whereas different members of the same family often subscribe to different network providers.

But maybe they did not fully factor in the potential for TV on mobile phones.

There’s also the issue of family economics. Parents do still have influence over the purchasing habits of their children. The idea that the whole family has the same mobile network provider is surely not quite so outrageous - providing, that is, it makes sense economically.

Soon we will know more about whether the new Virgin Media package is going to take off. Next month will see the launch of the advertising campaign, and Uma Thurman, star of the films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, has been signed up to front the £20 million TV campaign.

Marketing can change minds. And analysts are not good at taking this into account.