‘PHONEY’ QUEUES USED AT POLISH IPHONE LAUNCH

August 24, 2008
The Times of India (Delhi edition)

Poland’s biggest telecoms operator, Telekomunikacja Polska, acknowledged Friday that it had paid young, hip-looking film extras to stand in queues for the national launch of Apple’s iPhone. “It was a marketing move. We thought it was a pretty interesting strategy,” TP spokesman Wojciech Jabczynski said. TP is controlled by France Telecom, which owns the Orange mobile telephone brand. The iPhone, which had its initial launch in the Unites States in July, went on sale at Orange’s Polish stores on Friday after the stroke of midnight. On Thursday evening, apparent queues began forming outside stores across Poland, with some in the line offering to sell their slot to passers-by for 100-300 zlotys ($45-135). “The aim was to attract attention. The people in the queues told passers-by about the iPhone,” said Jabczynski.