Fairpoint Communications is currently in bankruptcy after a year of offering sub-par service to customers, missing deployment deadlines, being delisted by the NYSE, and angering regulators, customers, unions and investors. They haven't had enough money to pay what they owe small business customers, but they have had enough money to still engage in anti-competitive lobbying. They also apparently have enough to hire a new public relations firm. According to the Associated Press, the bankrupt carrier has hired two new firms to market the Fairpoint brand -- an uphill battle given the company's very public implosion:Of course Fairpoint has to market their products -- one just hopes that marketing doesn't trump actual network and customer support improvements. In a recent hearing before regulators, Fairpoint CEO David Hauser gave a speech that blamed some of Fairpoint's problems on "bloggers" and public perception. But short of a brand change, marketers will have a hard time clearing New England customer minds of what the Fairpoint brand stands for.

Offering service that actually works and support reps who answer the phone would go a long way toward getting back on track. It would go considerably further than new ad campaigns designed to pretend the last year didn't happen. Meanwhile, the more money spent on marketing, the less money being spent on making things actually work.