Thursday, November 19, 2009

I really hate bad advertising/Apple/AT&T

Not something I usually write about, but nonetheless, something that really honks me off, bad advertising. This can be print, internet, radio or television. Whether it is misleading, false, pompous, cliche or just plain stupid, it's all over the place and it bugs the hell out of me.

For instance, the new AT&T TV ad campaign featuring Luke Wilson. He's standing in front of an easel with a checklist on it. It's got two columns (AT&T and Verizon) and a list of features including Speed, Smartphones, Talk and Surf and Apps. Wilson talks a bit about each feature: AT&T has the nation's fastest 3g network, it has the most popular smartphones, it's the only network where you can talk and surf the web at the same time and it has over 100,000 apps. After checking all of the boxes in the AT&T column, he goes on to check one in the Verizon column and says "[the network] that starts with a V." (Ha.) At the end there is also a website posted: www.thetruthabout3g.com which redirects to www.att.com/thetruthabout3g, which is essentially a web version of the commercial sans Luke Wilson.

This commercial is an obvious rebuttal to Verizon's "got a map for that" ad, which was actually kind of clever. On the redirected web page, AT&T seems to take a jab at the Droid as well, stating all the things AT&T does/has and that Verizon does not.

Now, I have no problem with competitive advertising. If I'm going to point fingers I might as well point one at Verizon, who started it, with their Droid and "map for that" ads. However both Verizon ads were clear, accurate and truthful.

At&T might have the fastest 3g network. I don't know, I don't even know or care to look up what 3g stands for. I do know that it's almost always on my phone (a Droid from Verizon) in the top right corner, next to a signal strength icon that is almost always half full or better. (The 3g icon is replaced by a wifi icon when I enter a hotspot.) Now, living in a densely populated area, this is no surprise to me. But should I take a trip up to the suburbs, I pass through a lot of cornfields. And cornfields mean less population density, which, on AT&T means no 3g service, but on Verizon means I'm covered.

I have friends and colleagues who own iphones and have to turn the 3g off most of the time because they can't get service and the device constantly searching for service drains the battery. I also know a couple of people who have gone from the iphone to the Droid and love the coverage they now have with Verizon. (They also happen to like the Droid a whole lot better than the iphone.)

So, even if we assume that AT&T has the fastest 3g coverage, the fact is their coverage sucks in comparison to Verizon's.

AT&T's second claim, having the most popular smartphones, is such a loaded statement. First off, "the most popular" doesn't mean shit. Was the most popular kid in school the smartest? No. Was the most popular choice for President in 2002 and 2004 the right choice. No. Was the most popular Beatle the most talented? No. But, I'll give it to AT&T, they do have the most popular smartphones: the Apple iPhone 3G and the Apple iPhone 3GS. Oh, and the refurbished versions. After that AT&T has a couple of Blackberrys that are even worth looking at and then a bunch of crappy Nokia's and whatnot. Just check out their site and you'll see what I mean. I've been hating on Apple for years, and while the ipod, the iphone and the ipod touch have all impressed me, I have always thought that they overrated. So, suck it Apple.

So while the whole popularity thing got me goin', it was the next statement that really pissed me off: AT&T is the only network that lets you talk and surf the web at the same time. WHO DOES THAT!?!?! Seriously, I'm all for multitasking but it is nearly impossible for most humans to talk on the phone (and have any idea what the other person is saying) while surfing the web, let alone on a cell phone! And I suppose you would have to be on speakerphone for this feature to work anyhow. I work at a grocery store where I see people on their cell phones all day long everyday, and not once have I seen someone googling, facebooking, tweeting or wiki-ing anything while chatting with their friend or family member. It's hard enough for them to point to the donut they want while on the damn phone. Small, stupid victory AT&T. I award you -1 points.

But here is your chance to make up some points, AT&T. You have over 100,000 apps - ten times that of the Android OS. But from what I understand these apps can only be used on phones manufactured by Apple. Well, Android is running on more than ten times more phones than Apple offers. And as an Android user, I have searched the Marketplace plenty of times and seen many, MANY repeated apps. So I went online and searched for iphone apps and saw basically the same thing. Hundreds of apps for farts, jokes and bible verses. Not one single thing caught my eye and made me think wow, I wish Android offer an app like that. So, really you could have a million more apps than me, and if there are no new, unique ones, I could care less.

So, there's my rant. I really had to do this. I'm sick of bad advertising, REALLY tired of AT&T and like previously stated, I've always hated Apple. And this was fun.

Hopefully in the future I can critique some more ad campaigns. In the meantime, what are some commercials or advertisements that get you steamed?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see your point but lets point out that Verizon is going to have smaller coverage and some network issues when it changes to LTE so big brother Vodafone is happy. Verizon is off in the right direction and the ads were funny but AT&T is also going to comment about their new ETF where as Verizon charges $350 for smart phones?? WTF not even Sprint does that and for what smart phones?? Seriously Verizon loves to lock down a phone just like they did when customers sued them for bluetooth. AT&T does do business as the death star but hey its kept them up there as the both laugh at Sprint and T-Mobile. Overall Verizon blows...funny thing is I bet they are still kicking them selves for passing on the iPhone first!

Ryan the Broham said...

Hmmm... I'm wondering if this is the same anonymous who commented on my last post. I'm guessing not. But the mystery still intrigues me.

Also, I love Verizon. I have and always will be willing to pay a premium price for premium products and more importantly premium service. I've had very few problems with Verizon in the past, and their phones have always met my needs. The droid has exceeded them.

I'm not sure what the fuck LTE or EFT are, but I agree with your last comment about Verizon kicking themselves.

But the Droid is better than the iphone, hands down. And I hear Verizon will be getting the iphone ext year. Not that I care.

Screw Apple.

Ryan the Broham said...

Oh and my phone didn't cost me $350. But when the iphone came out it was like $400...

and the current price of the iphone is about the same as the droid

Anonymous said...

As a user of both the iphone and the Andriod, the truth is the iphone is FAR superior. I also live in a rural area, and the 3G stays on on the driod even when it doesn't have service (while I am using my iphone)