There are ads and entire campaigns over the years that have caused me no end of screaming at radios, TVs, etc..  The anger is due to various reasons, including unanswered claims, stupid ideas, poor writing, and probably some unresolved childhood issues. One series of ads we have discussed previously (I’m looking at you, Apple) and today we’re going to talk about one that got damn close.

In Q4 of 2009, Verizon decided it was going to go head first towards AT&T with a clever little campaign that compared coverage areas.  This is not necessarily a new concept for wireless carriers.  I can remember seeing coverage area maps on pamphlets back when I worked at Radio Shack during college.  However, this one was a little different because it was comparing the “3G” service area coverage.  Here was one of the earlier ads that introduced this concept:

You have to admit, it’s a pretty powerful little idea.  Not only is the map pretty damning, but they threw the “There’s an app for that” line from the iPhone commercials right back in their smug little faces.  It was like they were saying, “hey, nice phone, too bad your service sucks so bad.”  I know you’ve seen these ads, Verizon has been running them constantly, with new variations coming out every week, including some effed up holiday versions that use the “Island of Misfit Toys” from Rudolf (it even had a stop-motion iPhone dancing around in it, damn!).

I personally thought the ads were great, but my problem with them had more to do with the media buy associated with the campaign.  You see, I live in one of the major metro areas where AT&T has great 3G coverage (Los Angeles), but they were obviously running these ads on a national level.  I would look at the map comparison and just say, “so what, Verizon? You’ve got a pretty map, shut up about it already!”  I’m actually on AT&T not because of their fabulous coverage in the states, but because I can keep using my phone when I travel abroad for speaking engagements, international crime sprees, etc.  I could personally give a shit if my 3G coverage extended to Bung Hole, Nebraska, so I thought that Verizon needed to concentrate elsewhere in the country where that map was really making a point.

But wow, did these ads piss of AT&T.  So much so that AT&T even tried to sue Verizon to stop the ads because they claimed that the maps misrepresented AT&T’s true coverage area since they were just comparing apples to apples (or 3G to 3G).  The judge threw out the lawsuit (as he should have, really), Verizon kept coming out with more ads for the rest of the year, and AT&T just looked like a little bitch for awhile there.

Then AT&T sent in a Wilson brother:

AT&T was finally going to make the point it was trying to make in court, which was, “Sure, Verizon has more 3G coverage, but AT&T covers 98% of the US with it’s regular coverage, so stuff it, jackass!”  Plus they were going to call out the fact that their 3G was faster AND you could run data and voice at the same time.  AT&T did a shitload of these ads across TV, radio, and I’m sure in other formats I haven’t even seen.

It was like these two crazy kids were running for student office and Verizon was part of the popular kids and AT&T was in band and never had a shot, but dammit, he was going to try! The little band nerd was going to stay up all night and make smart and funny posters, banners, and button just to get his name out there because he knew that friggin’ rich kid thought she had it in the bag just for showing up, ha ha!  Sure, he lost anyway, but that’s not the point, he tried!  Or something…

Then, the other day while driving home from work on the last day before Christmas vacation, I heard this ad come on the radio:

ATT Mobile – LA Maps

Holy shit!  It’s like AT&T heard my bitching and actually went to the trouble of doing a regionally targeted creative for the Los Angeles market.  Now that’s some damn effort, AT&T!  Way to put your nuts on the glass and tell Verizon, “hey, screw you, man!”

I have to admit, I got a little hard… seriously, a little media wood over an AT&T ad.  See? This is the shit I’m talking about.  Companies putting in some damn effort and intelligence into their campaigns and not letting other companies walk all over them.

Did Microsoft do that with Apple for the “Get a Mac” ads? Not really.  Sure, they did the “I’m a PC” ads and the ads where people got laptops for way cheaper than a Mac, but it took them friggin’ forever to get them out there and when they did, it wasn’t the big “Hey, fuck you, Apple! You get viruses and crash all the damn time, so eat it, ass!” that I was looking for.  Nope, it was pretty much what you would expect from Microsoft, functional, but not flashy.  The cool kids won again.

But AT&T, sacked up and showed up on the seen, bitches.  Nice work guys, you’re going to need that bad ass attitude in 2010 when the iPhones hit the Verizon network.  Wow, that’s going to be some nasty stuff.  When things get tough at my day job, I’m going to sit back and thank the gods of marketing that I don’t have to work for AT&T, because… damn.

J.

Related posts you might enjoy:

1. AT&T & Verizon: I Thought It Was Called Creative [RANT]
2. DTM’s 2010 wish for the advertising biz: cool it with the effing hyperbole