AT&T Finally Joins the Ad-War With Verizon

November 20, 2009 12:59 PM EST

Unless you live under a rock or have not turned on the magic box in your living room for some time, then you have more than likely seen the new-advertising war that has been taking over the airways between wireless communication giants, AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ).

Verizon fired the first shot across the bow with several ads stating the things that AT&T's flagship device, the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone, cannot do. The campaign has become known as the iDont commercials which were a promotion for the new Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid phone that is an exclusive to the Verizon network. The Droid is the latest on the list of wannabe iPhone killers.

The onslaught continued with the now well-known "there's a map for that" ads that pointed out the limited 3G coverage of the AT&T network, compared to the superior experience customers can receive through Verizon.

In a particularly witty attack, Verizon placed the iPhone on the famous "Island of Misfit Toys" from the beloved Rank and Bass Christmas movie "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The ad brilliantly points out that even thought the device is destined for greatness, it is crippled by the lacking coverage of AT&T.



This move led to a lawsuit filed by AT&T stating that the Verizon ads were "misleading." The temporary injunction that AT&T was seeking was denied by an Atlanta judge on Wednesday.

After running to the teacher like a tattle-tale, AT&T has now mustered up some courage, calling on Luke Wilson to spearhead a campaign of its own. Wilson points out some of the bright spots of the AT&T network, including having the fastest 3G network (where coverage applies), the ability to chat and surf the web, and the company's exclusive rights to Apple's iPhone.



After pointing out the high-water marks of AT&T, Wilson makes a comment about Verizon that has all the wit of a third-grader in an attempt to insult Verizon.

In the end AT&T is doing what they should have done in the first place by fighting back; however the ads could most definitely use a little more thought behind them.

Related Categories

General News
Insiders' Blog

Stocks Mentioned

Comments

Add Your Comment

Name

Subject

Body

Verification can't see the text?
click here to refresh the image.
what's this?