There are rumors flying that Vonage will be shut down. Unfortunately as this company is a poster child for VoIP, what happens to it could have negative impact on the industry at large. This is too bad. There are a number of companies in IP communalizations doing a great job and making great money.

 

For example Acme Packet is a publicly traded company who is doing well.

 

One thing worth pointing out is Vonage focused too much and still focuses too much on marketing. I can’t believe I of all people is saying this. But there have been times I picked up five magazines for a long flight and saw Vonage ads in each magazine. Now obviously this is too much advertising.

 

Still, it is easy for me to criticize the company in hindsight. The problem is the profitably numbers were terrible because of this massive spend level.

 

The point is, Vonage did great things for the VoIP industry and it seems it may do as much negative for the market as it has done positive. Actually, the blame here should rest more on Verizon than Vonage.

 

One other point; the PR team at Vonage (or at least one person at the company I have referenced in the past) has been very unresponsive to most editors and bloggers I have spoken with.

 

For all the money the company has spent on marketing, its PR efforts have been fairly negative according to most people in the industry I know. In fact I can’t name a company with less responsive PR. Again, this is not across the board.

 

Why does this matter? Because so many of the people who feel as if they have been wronged by the company’s PR department (bloggers, reporters, etc) who seem to have a vendetta against the company.

 

This is too bad and to be honest, although writers shouldn’t have egos, in the real world everyone has one (including me).

 

Let’s just hope all this bad will doesn’t put the company in the grave before its time.

 

I truly hope Vonage makes it out of this mess soon and finds a way to undo the damage Verizon has done.