AT&T Swings Back At Verizon Wireless, Misses

What do you do when your brand is slammed repeatedly by the competition?

If you're AT&T, you file a lawsuit, alleging that Verizon Wireless is misleading consumers with their "There's a map for that" ads.

When that fails, you go to Plan B.

In this case Plan B involves Luke Wilson, magnets, an empty loft and a chalk board. It's not quite what Sonny Corleone had in mind when he instructed you to "go to the mattresses," but it's proactive nonetheless. (Recruiting an unlikely spokesman in Luke Wilson has us scratching our heads. He is America's supportive boyfriend, but really: Luke Wilson?)

This reactionary ad unfortunately doesn't pack the punch of Verizon's adaptation of iPhone's "There's an app for that," which instead tells consumers "There's a map for that." Verizon's campaign suggested that AT&T's 3G network doesn't cover most of the country, where Verizon's network does.

AT&T's reputation has been marred by iPhone users upset at faltering coverage who've made their ire heard loud and clear.

Instead of an ad obscuring the wireless network's lackluster service, AT&T needs to restore the good faith of its customer base. Of course that's not a solution that involves Luke Wilson. Luke Wilson!