MCI LLC: 1-800-Collect campaign
Susan RislandOVERVIEW
Before the 1980s the telecommunications giant American Telephone & Telegraph Corp. (AT&T) dominated the collect-call market by simply owning the majority of America's pay phones. After pressing "0" to make a collect call, consumers were automatically routed to AT&T operators. In 1993 MCI Communications Corporation changed the landscape with its 1-800-COLLECT program. By dialing MCI's toll-free number, callers were routed to MCI operators and bypassed AT&T's inflated rates. Hoping to undermine further AT&T's stronghold on the collect-call business, MCI released its "1-800-COLLECT" campaign, which targeted college students, military personnel, and the parents of...