Verizon's Droid Ads Pull No Punches

The future is now! And by Verizon’s measure, the future is an industrial wasteland where AT&T service fails you and the iPhone is a useless vanity device.

Debuting last night, the newest ad from the wireless provider packs a punch. Verizon continues their negative campaign against the iPhone and AT&T, calling the iPhone a “semi-functional, giggling-brat-vanity,” and features a compacter crushing crystal encrusted Apple devices. Ouch.

In between shots of boxers, robots and a bustling factory, Verizon boasts that the Droid is a smartphone that “does.” The aggressively masculine ad practically grows chest hair.

Since the debut of the Droid campaign three weeks ago Verizon has kept up a steady stream of criticism against its competitors. Unveiling the Droid in the “iDon’t” campaign, Verizon appropriated Apple’s cheery aesthetic to highlight the iPhone’s limitations.

AT&T, despite their lawsuit, continues to be lambasted in Verizon’s “There’s a map for that” ads. Just in time for the holidays, Verizon is running ads styled after the classic stop-motion animation features Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. In the commercial, the iPhone has been cast off to the Island of Misfit Toys due to AT&T’s unreliable network; some users can’t download apps to their phones, making the iPhone a “misfit toy.” 

Verizon is taking a page from the Apple playbook, going negative while maintaining a positive brand association. Much like the “Mac vs. PC” ads, Verizon is trying to tow the line between being competitive and bullying, something Apple has had some trouble with in public perception. Apple’s problem with their “Mac vs. PC” ads is in hiring an incredibly likeable actor to portray the PC and pitting him against an incredibly unlikeable character portrayinging Mac. Verizon sticks to record and fact in their attack ads, not personality.

From the tough aesthetics to the bragging bravado, it is obvious who the target demo Verizon is vested in courting: young men 25-34. Yet the ads still “remembers the ladies”: One 30-second spot featuring the Droid’s GPS app shows the phone offering driving instructions to a bakery.

Only time will tell when Verizon decides that AT&T and the iPhone are down for the count.