New Verizon ad mocks Apple, AT&T: 'There's a map for that'

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Taking on AT&T and the iPhone directly, Verizon's latest TV ad mocks Apple's App Store slogan by comparing its nationwide 3G coverage map with its competitor.



Apple's iPhone advertisements have famously touted that "There's an app for that," concluding in the end that there is "an app for just about anything." In its latest TV spot, Verizon Wireless parodies Apple's tag line while criticizing the 3G coverage of the next-largest wireless carrier in the U.S., and the exclusive provider of the iPhone, AT&T.



"If you want to know why your 3G coverage works so well on Verizon Wireless," the commercial's voiceover says as a Verizon customer uses his phone, "there's a map for that."



The real punchline of the commercial, though, is when it directly takes on AT&T, and compares Verizon's coverage map.



"If you want to know why some people have spotty 3G coverage," the ad notes as an AT&T customer crosses his path, "there's a map for that too."







As competition begins to heat up between Verizon and AT&T, the nation's largest wireless carrier has also scheduled a press conference Tuesday with Google, presumably to announce its first Android-powered phone.



Earlier this year, Apple came under fire for its App Store advertisement claims in the U.K, when a handful of users complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about the claim that there is an app for anything. Specifically, users believed that the Android Marketplace also offered a range of applications, just like the iPhone. But after it reviewed the case, the ASA sided with Apple and declared that its slogan was justifiable.







But Apple didn't fare as well in a complaint over advertisements in which the company said that "all parts of the Internet are on the iPhone. In that 2008 decision, the ASA ruled that the commercials were misleading because the iPhone does not support Flash or Java, two proprietary technologies that sometimes prove integral in the display of certain Web pages.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 120
    Yep, that pretty much says it all. Remember when everyone complained because the iPhone wasn't 3G? ATT wasn't ready.



    Nice ad.
  • Reply 2 of 120
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PatsFan83 View Post


    Yep, that pretty much says it all. Remember when everyone complained because the iPhone wasn't 3G? ATT wasn't ready.



    Nice ad.



    Hope this isn't true for 4G for AT&T, otherwise matching billions to Verizon's investment in their network is only maintaining their gap. It really sounds like AT&T also knows their 3G technology is fundamentally no where near as good as CDMA 3G technology, and not worth the investment?
  • Reply 3 of 120
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Cute play on Apple's ad, "There's an app for that!"



    But just "painting a map red" does not mean you'll get that coverage?



    What recourse, as a Verizon consumer, does one have when they don't receive 3G service for whatever reason... tall trees, tall buildings, mountains, whatever, can they then sue Verizon for false advertising?



    Anybody out there with Verizon service that found they were unable to receive 3G service and then looked at Verizons map commercial and saw that Verizon said they have 3G service? Makes you stop and think for a moment!
  • Reply 4 of 120
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Doesn't mean squat when everyone and their dog is dying to get an iPhone and is perfectly willing to put up with AT&T.



    It's all fun and games . . . until Verizon gets the iPhone.



    Had Apple gone with Verizon, Verizon would have experienced the same crushing pressure on its network.



    No one was fully prepared for what the iPhone brought to the table.
  • Reply 5 of 120
    When I first read the headline I thought, yikes, if Verizon is attacking the iPhone does that mean they're not going to get it anytime soon? But then after watching the ad, it's clear they're mainly attacking AT&T's network.



    In some ways the ad is a nice set up for launching the iphone next year. First they attack AT&T's network and then they tell people if they want both the iphone and a great 3g network, come on over to Verizon.
  • Reply 6 of 120
    dluxdlux Posts: 666member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by randythot View Post


    It really sounds like AT&T also knows their 3G technology is fundamentally no where near as good as CDMA 3G technology, and not worth the investment?



    I don't think it's a GSM vs. CDMA technology issue, so much as a difference between the number of towers each carrier deploys.



    And as far as I have read, the cellular radio/technology difference will disappear completely when they both deploy the same 4G/LTE standard in the future. Then it really will boil down to who has the most towers.
  • Reply 7 of 120
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member


    Oh, yeah... VZW Voice coverage is compared to AT&T's true 3G data coverage.
  • Reply 8 of 120
    hittrj01hittrj01 Posts: 753member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01 View Post




    Oh, yeah... VZW Voice coverage is compared to AT&T's true 3G data coverage.



    I was just about to say the same thing. Yet another case of false advertising, except nobody sues unless it's Apple. Verizon's 3G coverage is still a little larger than AT&T's, but it's nowhere near the 5x increase Verizon would lead you to believe, and I would love to see how Verizon's network would handle a heavily used data phone like the iPhone, whether their network would buckle or not as well.
  • Reply 9 of 120
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,462member
    I do not like ATT, and as soon as the iPhone opens up to other providers I'll most probably switch, but I think ATT will adjust their prices competitively when that happens.

    Having said that, I get 3G and phone coverage in areas around VA and MD with ATT where Verizon and Sprint get ZERO bars! places such as Deep Creek, MD.
  • Reply 10 of 120
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:

    "If you want to know why your 3G coverage works so well on Verizon Wireless," the commercial's voiceover says as a Verizon customer uses his phone, "there's a map for that."The real punchline of the commercial, though, is when it directly takes on AT&T, and compares Verizon's coverage map.



    "If you want to know why some people have spotty 3G coverage," the ad notes as an AT&T customer crosses his path, "there's a map for that too."



    Blasphemy!

    When does Apple file suit for infringement on their slogan?
  • Reply 11 of 120
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rot'nApple View Post


    Cute play on Apple's ad, "There's an app for that!"



    But just "painting a map red" does not mean you'll get that coverage?



    What recourse, as a Verizon consumer, does one have when they don't receive 3G service for whatever reason... tall trees, tall buildings, mountains, whatever, can they then sue Verizon for false advertising?



    Anybody out there with Verizon service that found they were unable to receive 3G service and then looked at Verizons map commercial and saw that Verizon said they have 3G service? Makes you stop and think for a moment!



    I am not passing any judgement on the article or the ad but I am surprised Apple didn't get some copyright coverage on the exact phrase "There's an app for that!".
  • Reply 12 of 120
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    I am not passing any judgement on the article or the ad but I am surprised Apple didn't get some copyright coverage on the exact phrase "There's an app for that!".



    Give it up.

    Why didn't Apple sue Microsoft for it's retort of "I'm a PC" too for that matter? That's used verbatim, not so here.
  • Reply 13 of 120
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    Kind of looks like wasteful spending on Verizon part, spending money for 3G infrastructure in low population density areas makes it hard to recover that investment. Now Verizon is going to invest billions again for 4G hopefully for their stock holders they will invest more wisely and spend the money where they can recover the investment vest put it out in the mid west where they i about 1 person for ever square mile.
  • Reply 14 of 120
    djrumpydjrumpy Posts: 1,116member
    Here are the coverage maps specific to data:



    http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/C...atorController



    http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/



    You have to click on the 'Enhanced Services' map on the Verizon site to see their data coverage and then click the red Refresh Map button. I didn't really see any difference in the 'voice' and 'data' map for AT&T.
  • Reply 15 of 120
    I don't live in the middle of Montana, so it doesn't matter to me either way, I'm in a saturated zone in either carrier. Easy decision, AT&T HAS the iPhone, Verizon does NOT.
  • Reply 16 of 120
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by randythot View Post


    Hope this isn't true for 4G for AT&T, otherwise matching billions to Verizon's investment in their network is only maintaining their gap. It really sounds like AT&T also knows their 3G technology is fundamentally no where near as good as CDMA 3G technology, and not worth the investment?



    Or they're just cheap. Why make major investments in infrastructure when they're going to buy the iPhone anyway.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Doesn't mean squat when everyone and their dog is dying to get an iPhone and is perfectly willing to put up with AT&T.



    It's all fun and games . . . until Verizon gets the iPhone.



    Had Apple gone with Verizon, Verizon would have experienced the same crushing pressure on its network.



    No one was fully prepared for what the iPhone brought to the table.



    Maybe, but Verizon actually has a comprehensive 3G network. AT&T has a handful of test spots so that they can say they have 3G, the vast majority of the network is still 2G.
  • Reply 17 of 120
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    I was just about to say the same thing. Yet another case of false advertising, except nobody sues unless it's Apple. Verizon's 3G coverage is still a little larger than AT&T's, but it's nowhere near the 5x increase Verizon would lead you to believe, and I would love to see how Verizon's network would handle a heavily used data phone like the iPhone, whether their network would buckle or not as well.



    Shame. Barbaric wildness. No one should be allowed to name competitors openly in ads.
  • Reply 18 of 120
    Huh, hey Verizon, AT&T may suck, but you're no better...



    Here's a truthful one about verizon - "You want that feature enabled on your phone? There's a charge for that"



    Wireless companies are all a bunch of smarmy crooks IMHO.
  • Reply 19 of 120
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01 View Post


    Shame. Barbaric wildness. No one should be allowed to name competitors openly in ads.



    Attack ads are becoming very commonplace here. Not that they're very effective- just look how Apple has been attacking Microsoft relentlessly for the last five years yet barely moved into double digits of share.



    Now you should see our elections' ads!
  • Reply 20 of 120
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DJRumpy View Post


    Here are the coverage maps specific to data:



    http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/C...atorController



    http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/



    You have to click on the 'Enhanced Services' map on the Verizon site to see their data coverage and then click the red Refresh Map button. I didn't really see any difference in the 'voice' and 'data' map for AT&T.



    Zoom in AT&T's data coverage. You'll see what VZW mean. They count only true broadband 3G when it comes to AT&T.
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