With "there is a map for that", Verizon declared war to AT&T. There's always been a competition, of course, however this time we're seeing a whole new level of engagement. Verizon now presents itself as the
good network that fights the big vilain AT&T and his ally, the tyranic Apple iPhone.
For that purpose they launched a $100 million advertising campaign that focuses on two things, first of all the Droid would be more "capable" than the iPhone, secondly Verizon's network coverage would be exponentially superior than AT&T's. Unfortunately for Verizon, the latter argument may be lost on iPhone users.
People just don't care! Of course if you could choose between having your iPhone run on either Verizon's or AT&T's network, the majority of Americans would choose Verizon based on the increased reception and coverage. Traditionally this point is how carrier's appealed to the masses. "If you build (the best network), they will come". In this new age of customers demanding more from their phones than a reliable talking device, the same principle doesn't seem to hold. People are now starting to pick the network principally according to the phone they want. No, I am not only talking about the Apple fanboys and fangirls, it is happening across the board. Pre lovers switch to Sprint, Droid demanders will come to Verizon, and iPhone users will stick with AT&T despite any frustrations they may experience, including MMS being months behind the 3.0 launch and tethering still not available on their network!
Your Smart Phone is becoming a defining part of who you are, it's just as important, if not more important than what you're wearing. The iPhone's network sucks? Well, most iPhone users would argue that doesn't matter. Again, I am not talking about the fanboys and fangirls, I am talking about the typical iPhone user.
This whole debate makes me think of the people complaining about the battery life when the iPhone first launched. Indeed, having a phone that only (barely) holds one day seemed disturbing, but would you rather have a traditional phone that lasts a week or an amazing phone that you need to charge everyday?
When it comes to the Droid/iPhone fight it's pretty much the same idea. Would you rather have the iPhone on a (perceived) worse AT&T network or the Droid on Verizon? Well, in my opinion people won't compromise on the device. Indeed, the network is something secondary, the device you're holding in your hands is what is really essential.
Why am I saying it's a compromise? The Droid is of course a great phone, but compared to a Nokia.
This is no chauvinism, it's a fact that the satisfaction rates of people using an iPhone are much higher than for the rest of the industry. And the Droid just doesn't bring you this magic user experience, furthermore it lacks Multitouch, doesn't have enough apps and this even tho the SDK has been there for quite a while.
Anyway, who is Verizon aiming in their campaign ? AT&T users? Why ? If the network is that bad they probably already know about it. So if they didn't switch yet it's probably because they like the phone they have. Imagine how much they must love their device to accept such a bad network, so telling them the iPhone sucks is just gonna annoy them more than anything.
All the campaign does is reassuring Verizon's customers that however they are missing on what is widely acclaimed as the best device on the market, they do have better coverage.
