Shaw vs. Skype vs. Shaw:

Shaw vs. Skype Skype vs. Shaw: SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and 4 Ps (Product, Placement, Promotion, and Pricing) Analysis Skype (official website available at (www.skype.com) is a recently begun VOIP (voice over internet protocol) startup company that offers currently offers its free telephony services over the Internet. It has the strength of being the dominant or 'first mover,' in the field of VOIP.

Also, as noted upon its official website, it has eleven million users worldwide at present and seems to be growing at an unprecedented rate. It has a clear directive and mission as an organization with a clear, singular focus. However, Shaw Communications Inc. As "a diversified Canadian telecommunications company whose core business is providing broadband cable television, Internet and satellite direct-to-home (DHT) services to approximately 3.0 million customers" has a more reputable if less focused brand name in the telecommunications industry.

It also has a more diverse range of interests as an entity. Thus, while Skype has the strength of being singularly directed and a first mover in the VOIP field, a marketing strategist at Shaw could point to Shaw's diversity as its potential strength. Also, in comparison to Skype, Shaw has greater age as an organization. It has already consolidated its market strength in communications and developed its reputation and reputability in a diverse range of communication systems, another great potential asset.

Shaw's current weakness is that it not a first mover in this field of new technology. Also, it does not currently offer free services. But this could be turned into strength potentially as Shaw can build upon the generation of the need for VOIP from Skype. It could add to its potential market opportunities created by the new service, by offering them with Shaw's other communications systems, as specified on its official website.

(www.shaw.ca).Of course, there is nothing to prevent other communications companies from doing the same, but if Shaw acts now it could deploy its unique strengths of reputation in a new and developing technology fostered by the first mover Skype.

In terms of pricing, it is difficult to compete with Skype -- as Skype is free! However, Shaw could offer, in addition to its Xtreme High Speed Internet connection services, VOIP as an additional service, thus providing with its current services of broadband connections, an additional service that would be easier for users to deploy. AOL, for example, drew users away from DSL with its broadband services, simply because it was easier to add broadband to one's existing AOL account than to go through a new service.

Thus, through using Shaw rather than Skype, a user could consolidate his or her computer services. So, Shaw could thus make use of its current marketing position as a more tried and true organization in contrast to the upstart Skype. Shaw could thus create a new, combined product service of VOIP and other Internet services to compete with Skype, although it might have to consider offering this service free for a time to lure customers in, as a promotional device.

Shaw could even make more efficient use of placing than Skype by specifically emphasizing its Canadian/North America location, to corner that area of the VOIP market, stressing the greater and more personalized services it could offer North American and Canadian users, as opposed.