Competition in the marketplace may seem unfriendly, and perhaps sometimes it is, but in reality competition in the marketplace is good for everyone. Consumers have more choice, and while companies have to work a little harder for customer loyalty, they potentially end up with more business as they’re actually working harder to gain it. In the wireless industry, most competition is laid out through online video and TV ads, such as the recent “Paul Switched” ad that Sprint ran a couple of weeks back. If you’re unfamiliar with Paul, he’s the guy that used to be the face of Verizon’s “can you hear me now” commercials.
It isn’t uncommon for carriers to fire back at rivals with their own ads that are in direct response to one that tosses them a playful jab, and that’s exactly what Verizon has just done with their new ad called “I Got Verizon” starring Jamie Foxx, who in no exact words basically tells the public that voice quality no longer matters, or matters as much. What Foxx actually says is that “it aint about can you hear me now, it’s about can you see me now,” in an attempt to draw attention to Verizon’s fast 4G LTE network that Verizon is quite obviously boasting is perfect for video chat, which is now a popular form of communication these days.
Of course, Verizon isn’t actually saying voice quality doesn’t matter, nor are they saying that video chat is used more often than voice calls, but the ad does seem to suggest that given Foxx’ statement at the end. Regardless of all that, Verizon’s aim might simply have been to point out that it doesn’t matter that Sprint was able to nab the “can you hear me now” guy, and without reading too much into it each video in their own respects is a way for the carrier to say that they’re better than the other, although it would probably be more successful to point out why consumers should choose them and not highlight the flaws of their competition. Then again, the video ad is just funny and is likely to get more than a few laughs, and consumers will certainly respond well to laughter.
https://youtu.be/lNvUeMBBk2A