Verizon Hits Back in Map Ad Flap
Just days after it was hit with a lawsuit over competitive claims in a series of ads, Verizon Wireless is mincing no words in response.
“This is a junk lawsuit. It has no merit,” said Verizon rep Jeffrey Nelson, referring to a lawsuit filed by AT&T on Nov. 3 in which the company claims that Verizon’s “There’s a map for that” ads are misleading.
AT&T specifically points to the large amount of white space featured in U.S. maps depicted in the Verizon ads. AT&T argues that the white space implies the company has no cellphone coverage in large swaths of the country.
Verizon Responds to AT&T Lawsuit Over Map Ad | John Paczkowski | Digital Daily | AllThingsD
If AT&T’s lawsuit over Verizon’s allegedly misleading “there’s a map for that” wasn’t a public relations mistake to begin with, it will be by the time Verizon gets through with it. Responding to the suit today, Verizon (VZ) rep Jeffrey Nelson used it to stoke public perception that AT&T’s (T) network is inferior to Verizon’s.
“This is a junk lawsuit. It has no merit,” Nelson told Adweek. “It’s surprising that rather than defend the ‘blue’ hot spots on their 3G map, our competitor instead focuses on their white spaces. The maps clearly note that the comparisons are of 3G service, and further note that voice and data services are available in other places.”
Way to draw attention away from Verizon’s claim of a superior network coverage, AT&T.
Such claims are bogus, per Verizon, since the map in the offending ad is specifically about 3G service, and does not clarify that AT&T offers other levels of cell service in non-3G zones.
“It's surprising that rather than defend the ‘blue’ hot spots on their 3G map, our competitor instead focuses on their white spaces,” said Nelson. “The maps clearly note that the comparisons are of 3G service, and further note that voice and data services are available in other places.”
