Local wireline telecommunications provider Embarq, which separated from its parent company Sprint Nextel on May 18, has been using some unconventional means of publicizing its status as a separate company.

On its Kansas City, Mo., headquarters building, right next door to Sprint Nextel’s headquarters, it unveiled an eight story tall banner on the north side of the building facing Interstate 435.

And in Florida, the company embarked on a bus tour, traveling between many of the local communities it serves in that state.

“Because we have such a wide service area, we’ve selected a different method to launch the company name,” said Jeff Mechlin, a public affairs manager for Embarq Corporation. “Instead of a one-event affair,” Mechlin said Wednesday, “we’ve decided to take the name to the people with a multi-stop coach tour. We started in Sebring this morning and Arcadia was our first stop.” — Sun Herald

The company expects to spend $48 million on launching the new brand, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. It also will use more traditional approaches, such as advertising campaigns and bill inserts, to raise awareness of the new brand and its new corporate motto, “This way to common sense.”

“Our goal is to offer practical, innovative solutions to help people communicate,” Embarq CEO Daniel Hesse said. “This is a new chapter in our 100-plus-year history. We have the ability to improve and simplify communications services.”

Embarq, which began as Brown Telephone Company in 1899 in Abilene, Kan., now has 7.4 million access lines and 20,000 employees in 18 states. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under symbol EQ. On Thursday, Bear Stearns gave the stock an initial rating of “outperform.”