When the truth hurts…

Posted by Wildfire Marketing Group | November 18th, 2009

There’s a map for that, and now, there’s a lawsuit too.

AT&T has recently filed a lawsuit against Verizon for their ‘There’s a Map for That’ ad campaign. AT&T is claiming that the ads are “misleading” customers and causing the loss of “incalculable market share.” AT&T isn’t claiming that the information related to 3G coverage is wrong. Instead, they imply that customers who view the ads aren’t smart enough to understand that it’s only referring to 3G coverage, and not coverage in general.

The lawsuit will most likely backfire though, because it’s drawing more attention to the ad campaign and the weaknesses of AT&T’s 3G network. Exactly the opposite effect AT&T was looking for.

In a world where a phone is expected to do much more than just make calls, a significant difference in 3G coverage can be a deciding factor in choosing a provider. While AT&T may have the fastest 3G network, it means little if you can’t access that network. Instead of improving their service to at least the same level as their competitors, AT&T instead tried to prevent their competitors from highlighting the differences. That is an ineffective and counterproductive strategy.

If a competitor highlights a weakness in your services or products, don’t look at it as an attack. Look at it as an opportunity to improve.

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