While reading one of many end-of-year round-ups, I came across this “burning” question for 2010 on DaniWeb:
Answer: obviously not.
Verizon wants the last word for 2009, announcing this morning that it plans to extend its 3G coverage to accommodate a growing wireless customer base. As they’d say: there’s a new map for that, and it’s red through and through.
ALERT! There is a Blackberry outage in North America. I just spent the last half hour fiddling with my wireless settings, but it turns out it’s not just me. Verizon, AT&T and TMobile customers have been hit… maybe this is just collateral damage from the vicious AT&T/Verizon 3G AdWar. Recent commercials from both companies have been throwing it down; clearly, the gloves are off.
One of the original Map commercials by Verizon:
…And one of AT&T’s latest:
Apparently people are still talking about the recent AT&T and Verizon shenanigans (see Slate article). AdAge cites the rivalry as one of the top ten nastiest comparative campaigns of 2009. Among the other “nasty” rivalries is that of Starbucks versus pretty much everyone else:
Here’s one of the ads in Starbucks’ retaliatory print campaign:
Starbucks also came under fire in this Caribou Coffee commercial:
…but, as AdAge reports, Starbucks did not dignify the attack with a response and instead “focused its holiday marketing efforts around raising money for AIDS relief in Africa…,” among other things. Can’t really argue with that.
Posted in AdWar
Tagged AT&T, Caribou Coffee, commercials, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, Verizon
Remember when I compared the recent Verizon and At&T 3G commercials (and determined that Verizon’s was significantly more awesome)? Turns out that AT&T filed a lawsuit against Verizon for confusing its customers about the range of its wireless network on the maps shown in the commercials. Sore losers. TechLand, the Times and others report, however, that AT&T dropped the suit today.
Here’s the other Verizon 3G ad I didn’t analyze (that also has the allegedly confusing maps):
AT&T has released a new commercial for 3G starring Luke Wilson. It’s not good. (For a hilariously disparaging analysis, click here)
Here’s what they’ve got:
1. The less-famous Wilson brother
2. A bad script
3. Nothing creative
4. An embarrassing budget (did they just sneak into some under-construction warehouse?)
5. A fishbowl? Magnets?
6. A boring anti-Veri… (oh wait, we shouldn’t say the name) zinger at the end
7. A dull one-shot summary of product details
Now let’s look at Verizon’s most recent 3G commercial:
What does Verizon have?
1. ELVES!
2. Awesome set with computer generated graphics, moving parts and cool light/sound
3. A budget
4. Holiday cheer
5. Creativity
6. Calling AT&T users “naughty”
7. A fancy, moving “here are our products” spot
My only concern for Verizon is that some people (albethey sensitive) might see the commercial as a little anti-Semitic. I mean, not really… but… sort of. (As a lapsed Jew, I am satisfied to alert people to these things without actively doing anything about them). The “nice” Verizon customers have the last names Cook and Taylor, and then when Mr. Schaffer comes up, the sirens start blaring. He’s naughty. Also, Jews don’t celebrate Christmas, so not only does the commercial alienate Jews by being Christmas-themed, but the one Jewish guy who apparently does celebrate Christmas is naughty! Ouch. “Good luck browsing the web with that one…”
