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You are here: Home / BlackBerry / AT&T, Is This The Best You Could Come Up With?

AT&T, Is This The Best You Could Come Up With?

November 19, 2009 by Robb Dunewood 45 Comments

Seriously AT&T…  Verizon is squarely hitting you in the mouth with their “Map for That” Ad campaign.  If you are going to enter that dangerous ground of responding to your competition directly with a commercial of your own that is clearly a response to them hitting you in the mouth, you’ve got to come with something stronger than this…

There is no fair fighting in marketing.  When someone hits you in the mouth you hit them back in the mouth and knee them in the stomach…  Unless, of course, what they are saying is essentially true…

[#FAIL]

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Comments

  1. Nixt says

    November 19, 2009 at 8:39 am

    The ad is not the greatest response but you are clearly biased towards Verizon and against AT&T…

    Reply
    • Robb Dunewood says

      November 19, 2009 at 8:43 am

      Clearly…

      Reply
      • CJ says

        November 19, 2009 at 9:52 am

        I fail to see any bias. But what I do see is AT&T putting out an ad that’s not funny and does nothing to refute what Verizon has said about them.

        So what you have hundreds of thousands of apps? I don’t need a fart app, I have an ass for that! Surfing and talking at the same time? Good luck with that, half the time you can’t get a phone call going out or coming in! And as far as them having the fastest 3G network, perhaps they do but you’d be hard pressed to find a place that their 3G service works. If it doesn’t work it isn’t of any use.

        The fact of the matter is that Verizon has repeatedly bitched slapped AT&T across the mouth with a truth covered glove and AT&T can’t handle the truth…. Their network sucks. I happily abandoned my iPhone last year because of it. And yes, I am now a happy Verizon customer. Does that make me biased? No, it makes me a realist. Because if Verizons service starts to suck I will call them to the mat also!!

        Reply
  2. Claudia Vasquez says

    November 19, 2009 at 9:51 am

    I think that they were making the point that, as a news site, you may want to be more objective.

    Reply
  3. whodey says

    November 19, 2009 at 10:09 am

    Isn’t that Luke Wilson? How cool would it be if Verizon used Owen Wilson in their next commercial.

    Reply
  4. Eric says

    November 19, 2009 at 10:12 am

    I think AT&T just wanted to come up with something quick. I think they filmed that in about an hour (excluding setup time). It is a weak response to the great ads by VZW.

    Also, the argrument about “most popular smartphones” could be questionable. VZW is starting to come to market with new phones more quickly than in the past. The Tour, Curve 2 coming soon, the new Droid phones, etc. I agree that in the past that VZW was a year or more behind on the release of new phones, but that appears to be changing. All AT&T will have over VZW is the iPhone and that may change next year too.

    Reply
  5. The Rock says

    November 19, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    Those in the know, know better than to deal with verizon wireless, that is unless you like crippled, locked, non-standard devices and like being locked in verizon’s walled garden. There are plenty of reasons why consumers use open, standard, global GSM service from AT&T. Only the ignorant take anything verizon claims as even anything close to the truth. But then again verizon wireless is not searching for smart consumers, verizon likes consumers who mimic sheep.

    Reply
  6. The Rock says

    November 19, 2009 at 7:35 pm

    [#KICKASS]

    Reply
  7. JL says

    November 20, 2009 at 1:31 am

    Seems like AT&T’s marketing department swapped with Sprint’s.

    Reply
  8. R.Bechman says

    November 20, 2009 at 8:08 am

    Just saw this commercial during Fringe last night. It’s funny because I thought that it wasn’t as good as the Verizon commercials that have been airing and now I am reading this post. The author is not the only one who thinks this AT&T ad is kinda weak.

    Reply
  9. Anthony says

    November 20, 2009 at 9:22 am

    Rock, what’s crippled on Verizon’s phones?

    Reply
    • R.Bechman says

      November 20, 2009 at 10:59 am

      I was wondering the same thing? I know that I don’t have VZNavigator because I am not willing to pay for it on my Tour. Does AT&T’s version of their navigation program come standard? That kind of sucks on Verizon’s part if it does.

      Reply
      • Anthony says

        November 20, 2009 at 11:12 am

        As far as I know, AT&T has the same thing for $10/month

        Reply
    • Robb Dunewood says

      November 20, 2009 at 11:36 am

      Until about a year ago, Verizon was notorious for locking down standard features in BlackBerry devices that came factory default, namely GPS, which you had to pay an additional subscription for to be able to use VZ Navigator. Verizon also prevented the inclusion of Wi-Fi radios in devices, and, being the biggest purchaser of CDMA BlackBerry hardware, pretty much prevented Wi-Fi on CDMA Berrys across the board.

      Today, I’m not aware of anything that is crippled on Verizon BlackBerry devices. I am sure that the Rock will point out anything that is. I am also sure that the Rock will make the case that Verizon still locks down some non-BlackBerry devices, however, this post is clearly about the BlackBerry, so, I’ll go ahead and diffuse that argument before it gets started.

      When you get right down to it, Verizon BlackBerrys today, are, in my opinion, less crippled and locked down than the iPhone.

      Reply
  10. The Rock says

    November 20, 2009 at 11:23 am

    Do yourselves a big favor and educate yourselves about the finer points of the four orifices, and chances are you too will gain the knowledge which hole is the dirtiest. There are many anti consumer things big red likes to do, yet tries to hide or worse lie about. Here is just a tiny taste of reality from the dirtiest of the holes verizon wireless.

    Verizon Wireless AGAIN Accused Of Crippling Handset Features
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070723/104637.shtml

    Reply
    • Anthony says

      November 20, 2009 at 11:25 am

      That article is from 2007…gps is free on my Blackberry Tour

      Reply
      • The Rock says

        November 20, 2009 at 11:35 am

        Turn by Turn navigation should be free using the capabilities of today’s smartphones and the data plans we are already paying for coupled with autonomous gps the device makers build into the devices. It makes no difference when the article is from, the FACTS remain verizon cripples consumers handsets (bluetooth, GPS, Wifi, features and functions, makes firmware changes to benefit themselves to either control consumers behind it’s walled garden and/or charge more for features already built into or devices.

        Reply
        • Anthony says

          November 20, 2009 at 12:02 pm

          Apparently AT&T does the same thing…Verizon has wifi on it’s devices too. Not sure what your point is.

          Reply
          • The Rock says

            November 20, 2009 at 12:09 pm

            “Apparently” is much like “Assume” Facts are better than “Apparently’s”

            PS AT&T does not at all do the “same thing”

        • Robb Dunewood says

          November 20, 2009 at 12:28 pm

          “Turn by Turn navigation should be free using the capabilities of today’s smartphones and the data plans we are already paying for coupled with autonomous gps the device makers build into the devices.”

          GPS is unlocked and available in Verizon BlackBerry devices at this point in time. Are you saying that a company who develops a turn by turn navigation program should be precluded from selling it for a profit because the inherent ability for said program to run comes by way of standard hardware included in your phone?

          That’s like saying because my new laptop is capable of running the latest version of Photoshop, Photoshop should be free to me, because my laptop, which I’ve already paid for, is capable of running Photoshop.

          Reply
          • Amish says

            November 20, 2009 at 12:42 pm

            I’ve thought that the Rock lives in some type of bizarreo world for a long time, but, if you can software on your hardare for free simply because your hardware can run the software, I might have to to make a visit. 🙂

          • The Rock says

            November 20, 2009 at 1:08 pm

            No that’s what you are saying Robb. There is no need to put words into others mouths to try and spin that verizon is somehow right in anyway for crippling RIM’s hardware, which is a known fact, and fact which is bad for consumers and bad for RIM. The jury is still out on if verizon’s firmware games and crippling actions doomed the Storm. Those in the know, with hardware, open and functioning as designed can click on the Google Maps app and get turn by turn directions for the price we already pay for unlimited monthly data. That is on hardware which verizon hasn’t crippled. RIM and other manufactures really need to demand the service providers stay hands off when it comes to the devices, the manufactures know the devices, better verizon just handle providing the wireless service, let the manufactures handle the devices. WIN/WIN for consumers and manufactures.

    • juanita m swiger says

      November 23, 2009 at 8:34 pm

      At&t been will good to me its been better then the other haft ass cell phone comply At&t is the best i ever had so there

      Reply
  11. The Rock says

    November 20, 2009 at 11:30 am

    Educate yourselves we are all being played.

    Verizon Sues Time Warner Over Misleading Ad… Has To Drop Its Own Misleading Ad
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080410/153923813.shtml

    “Either way, these are industries that have a long history of stretching the truth as far as it can go in advertising messages. It makes you wonder if anyone takes either of their commercials seriously.”

    Consumers are being forced to sit through a tit for tat game via the four orifices and sometimes other communications companies, and very little to none of what is being advertised is the fact or the truth. Yet that’s exactly what the companies are looking for, the uneducated to run with advertising slogans and other bits of BS. It’s high time for the FCC to clear up advertising holding companies to the T when it comes to telling the TRUTH.

    Reply
  12. The Rock says

    November 20, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    AT&T do a little digging, you don’t need to go too far to find the REAL FACTS about verizon.

    Verizon Wireless Sponsors Union-Busting Mountaintop Removal Rally
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/call-now-verizon-wireless_b_271923.html

    Reply
  13. Anthony says

    November 20, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    Unions? We were talking about GPS…

    Reply
    • Amish says

      November 20, 2009 at 1:20 pm

      That dude is a lunatic troll. Whenever challenged, he throws random quotes out there that have nothing to do with the conversation believing that he win debates as long as he is the last one to say something.

      Reply
  14. R.Bechman says

    November 20, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    OK, I am new.

    Is my Tour on Verizon locked down from doing stuff that it would be able to do on Sprint or AT&T?

    Reply
    • Robb Dunewood says

      November 20, 2009 at 12:59 pm

      No, it is not…

      Reply
    • The Rock says

      November 20, 2009 at 1:09 pm

      Can you get turn by turn navigation through a application without paying big red’s nav tax? Can you surf the web via WiFi without paying big red’s walled garden tax?

      Reply
      • Robb Dunewood says

        November 20, 2009 at 1:32 pm

        If you mean does Verizon charge for VZ Navigator, then, the answer is yes. You could always use TeleNav or Garmin, etc. if you don’t like VZ Navigator.

        You lost me on the your surfing the web via wi-fi and paying a walled garden tax.

        Reply
  15. Robb Dunewood says

    November 20, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    @ the Rock,

    Please explain, then, what you mean by…
    “Turn by Turn navigation should be free using the capabilities of today’s smartphones and the data plans we are already paying for coupled with autonomous gps the device makers build into the devices.”,
    because it sure sounds like you believe since your hardware can run it, it shouldn’t cost you anything.

    As for thinking it is OK for Verizon to cripple standard features and making you pay to use what is already built into your device. I am on the record many times for saying that this practice sucked, however, it was something I was willing to deal with because what I felt Verizon’s network coverage was worth the “anti-consumer” inconvenience. I am not sure, however, why this is still a point of contention since Verizon no longer does this to BlackBerry devices.

    Google Maps does work on the BlackBerry, quite well actually, and it is free. Not sure what point you are trying to make there. If you are talking about the new Google Maps for Mobile which only runs on Android 2.0, you would have to ask Google why they created an app that runs only on their OS.

    Reply
  16. The Rock says

    November 20, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    Just like verizon’s deception when it came to lying to consumers about device crippling which for what ever reason you swept under the rug and try justifying it as:

    “it was something I was willing to deal with because what I felt Verizon’s network coverage was worth the “anti-consumer” inconvenience”

    The same can be said (and to stay on thread topic) about verizon’s deception when it comes to the latest round of adverts. RIMarkables skewed view of blindly “dealing” with verizon’s deceptive adverts which are completely lacking the truth, while desperately trying to discredit and write off AT&T’s response to verizon’s lies as unworthy.

    No matter how many attempts verizon makes with these desperate adverts the only people verizon is catching in their net is the uneducated and/or those who choose to ignore all the anti-consumer actions of verizon while white washing and trying to justify anti-consumer actions. Alot like stockholm syndrome.

    Reply
  17. Robb Dunewood says

    November 20, 2009 at 3:14 pm

    Thank your for bringing it back around to my original point which which was the AT&T rebuttal ad is weak.

    At the end of the day the courts will figure out what is and what is not true, but, like I said before, when you get hit in the mouth, you respond by hitting Verizon back in the mouth and kneeing them in the stomach.

    AT&T clearly did not do this.

    With that, I bid you good day…

    Reply
    • The Rock says

      November 20, 2009 at 6:28 pm

      “the AT&T rebuttal ad is weak.” in ones opinion. In others opinions the AT&T ad kicks verizon’s candy ass.

      Reply
  18. The Rock's Older Brother says

    November 20, 2009 at 5:01 pm

    Rock, mom called and said stop making stupid comments towards everyone who has a different opinion. She didn’t raise you that way.

    BTW the ad was definitely weak sauce. Goes perfectly with weak sauce AT&T wireless service. I personally have better things to do than watch YouTube videos on my phone compared to iPhone and then…OH CRAP the battery is dead…..

    AT&T pwnd…..

    Reply
  19. The Rock says

    November 20, 2009 at 7:05 pm

    To the “The Rock’s Older Brother”:

    The Rock says “it doesn’t matter what you think.” AT&T puts out a classy ad, a thinking mans ad, and surprise surprise it goes right over the heads of the jabroni’s. The Rock say’s soon the peoples elbow will drop on verizon and their anti-consumer games.

    Reply
    • The Rock's Older Brother says

      November 22, 2009 at 12:35 am

      Oh, and mom said you were adopted….just thought you should know…hence why you’re not in the verizon family plan….lol

      Reply
  20. The Rock's Older Brother says

    November 22, 2009 at 12:31 am

    It’s cute that you still wear your onesy pajamas and make believe you are a wrestler….it’s even cuter that you have to point out how much you hate verizon, and no one really cares for that part of your opinion lol

    Reply
    • The Rock says

      November 22, 2009 at 8:08 pm

      To the “The Rock’s Older Brother”:

      The Rock again says “it doesn’t matter what you think.” Your posting games that consist of nothing but off topic personal dig’s are not welcome here at RIMarkable, and they show a real lack of class. When it comes to your personal opinions of others and what they post “it doesn’t matter what you think.” “and no one really cares for that part of your opinion” The Rock says grow up.

      The Rock says AT&T puts out a classy ad, a thinking mans ad, and surprise surprise it goes right over the heads of the few jabroni’s which are still fooled by verizon’s FUD. The Rock say’s soon the peoples elbow will drop on verizon and their anti-consumer games. Just like the people’s elbow kept “The Rock’s Older Brother” and his childish games in his place year after year.

      Lack of class AND being fooled and controlled by verizon’s FUD is never a good mix. Consumers should educate themselves and not take anything the four orifices claim as the truth.

      Reply
  21. The Rock says

    November 22, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    NICE! Keep ’em coming AT&T!

    AT&T bitch slaps verizon with another Luke Wilson ad.

    Postcards Part 1

    Reply
  22. Vadol says

    November 22, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    Isn’t the point to Verizon’s ads that AT&T’s 3G coverage is lacking? How is AT&T showing me postcards of where they have no 3G coverage bitch slapping Verizon.

    I am a big time iPhone fan, but, if it weren’t for my Verizon MiFi I would probably switch to the Droid or something and just use an iPod Touch.

    Reply
  23. The Rock says

    November 23, 2009 at 5:32 pm

    verizon when will you ever learn? Push your Bull Sh**, and your gonna get the horns. You must learn you don’t mess with Apple and Mr. Steve Jobs.

    OH YEAH! Now its Apple Inc. turn in bitch slapping verizon.

    The iPhone (running on Open, Global, Standard GSM) can do simultaneous voice and data connection at the same time, poor cdma and all of verizon’s phones are unable to do voice and data at the same time. Come on little red, join the 20th century, oh thats right you are, your parent company Vodaphone is making you dump that obsolete, closed, cdma network. Oh there’s a app and a ad for that.

    http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2009/11/apple_launching.html

    Reply
  24. The Rock says

    November 23, 2009 at 5:45 pm

    No one can even come close to the iPhone, and no one has ever come close to Apple Inc.’s advertising. Poor verizon has dug it’s own grave, now it’s time for little red to cower in the corner while AT&T, Apple and the Rock drop the people’s elbow on verizon and their desperate FUD.

    Reply
  25. Robb Dunewood says

    November 23, 2009 at 9:41 pm

    I agree with you on Apple’s advertising. It’s generally top notch, but, “No one can even come close to the iPhone”…

    You do realize the the iPhone isn’t number one don’t you? Stateside, that would be the BlackBerry, followed by the iPhone coming in 2nd and the margin is widening. The iPhone may be growing in share, but, Apple isn’t taking it from RIM.

    Reply

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