• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, January 2, 2019

It’s a new year, but the same battle. In a just-launched series of commercials, AT&T is claiming credit as the top wireless network as determined by “America’s biggest test.”

Wireless ads often go for the jugular, with rude references to the competition. Here, AT&T just asserts dominance, based on a new report from Global Wireless Solutions that says it performed eight million individual controlled tests and had wireless-connected drivers put in nearly a million miles worth of mobile testing in 501 markets covering 94% of the U.S. -- using Samsung Galaxy equipment.

In addition, GWS commissioned a poll of 5,000 consumers and weighted the two sets of statistics to arrive at a winner.

AT&T's boast as top-ranking wireless carrier is being spread by a series of humorous commercials noting that for consumers, being “Just OK Is Not OK.”

The ads say that being average doesn’t really cut it in all phases of life, including wireless service. They launched Saturday and continued in the flurry of televised college bowl games on and around New Year’s Day.

The campaign across all platforms will continue through January. The spots were created by an Omnicom team including BBDO, Critical Mass, Hearts & Science and Organic. A dedicated Hispanic campaign created by Dieste extends this message beyond the general market.

In each of the spots, people are being offered services or things that are just not quite up to snuff. Is the sushi fresh? “Sorta,” reports the waitress in this spot.

Another customer is told, “No worries, boss. I’m one of the tattoo artists in the city,” just as he’s about to begin. The client nervously asks: “You mean, one of the best tattoo artists in the city, right?”

Other vignettes include a lackadaisical boxing trainer, a pokey getaway driver,  a mariachi-type trio reduced to one guitarist and a surgeon the bedside nurse says does an “OK” job.

“Just OK?” the patient asks.

According to GWS, AT&T wins overall for top marks in such areas as video streaming quality, quickest load time and voice “retainability” (lowest number of dropped calls). Verizon was second but edged out AT&T in fastest mobile Internet upload tasks like posting videos, photos and social media content.  T-Mobile was ranked third. Sprint was the only network tested that did not finish first in any of the voice and data tests.

AT&T launched 5G service in 12 markets before the end of the year, but also said it would begin advertising it was offering consumers “5GE” coverage in most other places, noted by a special logo. That’s not true 5G service, but rather enhanced 4G service, and some tech watchers have been critical of the subterfuge.  The new ads also serve as a broad market introduction of the new 5GE designation.