WOTW may not be a fan of Auto-Tuning, but is a fan of Verizon going after Sprint and AT&T, even if that attack is not in Verizon’s pure voice
Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We hope you enjoy it!
A couple of weeks back I used this column to applaud Sprint’s latest marketing move, which included bringing back the “Can you hear me now?” guy, last used by Verizon Wireless, to tout Sprint’s network performance. Despite my short attention span, I feel it remains a stroke of genius and “according to reports” is gaining traction amongst the peeps.
I am still a bit baffled by one of the more interesting angles of the commercials, with Sprint attempting to liken its own network performance to that of its rivals, claiming the 1% difference in performance is nothing compared to the cost savings. For a carrier desperately trying to tout its improved network, it seems weird to be admitting the network is not quite as good as its rivals’. We all know what the network performance results show, but I think we all also know network performance is a very localized phenomenon. I am sure Sprint’s network is as good or better than its larger rivals in a lot of “spots” so why focus on the negative?
But, whatever.
More importantly for this week’s conversation, Sprint’s move to steal Verizon Wireless’ old spokesman caught the attention of Big Red. The carrier did not take the slight that Sprint’s network is somehow anywhere near its network in performance or in stealing its former spokesman and tagline sitting down (on assuming gold thrones … Verizon Wireless makes a lot of money), and this week launched its latest retort to not just Sprint, but also took a figurative swipe at AT&T Mobility.
https://youtu.be/lNvUeMBBk2A
Good stuff. Sure, the Auto-Tune is probably dialed up a bit too much, but Verizon Wireless getting Jamie Foxx to sing its praises is a winner in my book no matter my feelings for Auto-Tuning. Even better, the move continues to show Verizon Wireless does have feelings and is willing to throw some attention at its rivals.
Who can forget the carrier earlier this year tapping Ricky Gervais in attacking its rivals, but mostly Sprint.
https://youtu.be/kFM-1y9Ed3s
The carrier’s latest commercials show it has thrown off the conservative shackles and is ready to get down and dirty with its rivals. This includes the octagon that is social media, where some of Verizon Wireless’ public relations folks have taken to commentary pointed at rivals.
It’s good to see Verizon Wireless has slowly begun to partake in such banter, which was previously deemed well beneath its social standing. While its rivals have been throwing spears at Verizon Wireless for years, the carrier has always maintained the stiff upper lip of someone not willing to risk sullying its own name to play in the muck and instead ploughed on, happy to keep snapping up high-valued postpaid customers.
But no more!
Verizon Wireless for too long now has seen its postpaid milkshake being usurped by the likes of T-Mobile US, with the scraps licked up by Sprint.
We can only hope the next move will see CEO Lowell McAdam take a more personal interest in the marketing game and start calling out rivals directly. Who doesn’t want to see McAdam stroll up on stage somewhere in a red T-shirt dropping some of those seven words not safe for TV in railing against Sprint, T-Mobile US and AT&T Mobility?
Come on Verizon. You have come this far. Take the next step and unleash a hound!
Thanks for checking out this week’s column. Here’s a quick extra to get you through the weekend:
• A recent report from OpenMarket found 75% of millennials would rather lose the ability to “talk vs. text.” Of the 500 millennials surveyed, which for those out of the loop are people born in the ’80s and ’90s, 76% said text messaging was more convenient and on their own schedule; 63% said texts were less disruptive than a voice call; and 19% said they never check voicemails.
The numbers from this survey would seem to indicate millennials basically never talk and are always just typing away on their phones. Yet, I can’t seem to ever be near one or many from this age group and not attempt to find a volume button to turn down their incessant talking.
Food for thought.
I welcome your comments. Please send me an e-mail at dmeyer@rcrwireless.com.
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