• Brandweek, Monday, October 11, 2010 10:30 AM

Noreen O'Leary talks with U.S. Cellular's CEO Mary Dillon and its vp of marketing and sales operations, Edward Perez, about "The Belief Project" -- an effort that aims no lower than a complete overhaul of the industry's operating model. Dillon, the former McDonald's CMO, says that the loyalty program addresses many of the "pain points" that consumers have with the wireless industry and dovetails with the company's "very customer-focused, customer-innovative" strategy.

Dillon says that she "probably" provided the U.S. Cellular marketing team a bit of guidance on the campaign, which has been evolving for years, but that she is focused on running the whole company. She likens her new job to running Quaker Foods at PepsiCo, which she did before joining McDonald's.

The company is also diving into social media. Beyond its Facebook presence, Perez points to The Project Lab, where the company pushes content and asks for feedback about some things that still frustrate consumers. He says the company is also reaching out to bloggers for the first time.

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