Commentary
New Survey Offers More Fodder For Verizon
- by Mark Walsh @markfwal, December 1, 2009
The new annual survey of wireless customer satisfaction from Consumer Reports provides fresh ammunition to Verizon Wireless its legal and ad war against AT&T. The findings reported by the All Things D blog Tuesday show AT&T coming in last in the ratings of the four major U.S. carriers in 19 of the 26 cities covered in the survey totaling 50,000 readers. Verizon ranked highest overall and AT&T lowest.
The report underscored that AT&T is strained by the popularity of the iPhone not just in major markets like New York and San Francisco, but in smaller ones nationwide as well. Despite its network problems, the survey showed that 98% of iPhone owners would definitely or probably buy the Apple device again. Only 79% of those with other cell phones said the same.
Even so, the Consumer Reports study could open up a new avenue of attack for Verizon in its ad campaign bashing the extent of AT&T's 3G coverage. Now Verizon can launch new ads claim that that even where AT&T provides coverage it's still not as good as Verizon. And instead of the blue and red maps featured in its commercials comparing 3G coverage, it can show maps comparing the carriers' service satisfaction rankings in cities across the country.
Then AT&T will get Luke Wilson back in front of the camera to point out the advantages of owning an iPhone without actually mentioning the iPhone.
Mark Walsh can be reached at walsh@mediapost.com
AT&T's response to Verizon has been tremendously weak. It is as if its agency and marketing folks don't know the competition.
Verizon is notorious for disabling popular features including wi-fi and bluetooth on their smartphones. How about a commercial that shows how your expensive phone quickly becomes a brick when you can't connect.
Also, what about those additional contract fees that Verizon just announced for Droid purchasers. How about 5 reasons you should avoid the Verizon Droid, void. Maybe just play on the Verizon Void - the emptiness you feel in your wallet when you sign a Verizon contract.
There are plenty of things to hit back at Verizon on, however Verizon's agency appears to just be much more creative than AT&T's. As a result AT&T has been caught flatfooted going into the holidays.
With all due respect, I don't think AT&T wants to call attention to "how your expensive phone quickly becomes a brick when you can't connect." Seems to me that's AT&T's primary problem...