Verizon has come out swinging at AT&T over the extent and availability of their 3G network in response AT&T has solidified a response with actor Luke Wilson as their spokesperson.

The First Spot

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The Second Spot
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Great use of the TV Commercial
Both spots for AT&T were 30 second commercials as opposed to the longer 1 minute spots Verizon has been running. The tactic AT&T is using is running both spots within the same advertisement break.

By sandwiching a couple of commercials in-between the two AT&T ads they give the impression that Luke Wilson had continued to cover the map with the post cards during the interlude. This type of storytelling really breaks down the fourth wall on the medium and acknowledges the presence of the audience.

AT&T Had to Answer
In addition to the Droid does ads Verizon has been running a series of holiday related ads that show AT&Ts 3G coverage in a poor light. AT&T has had some perceived issues with service mainly due to the strain the unparalleled success the iPhone has achieved has placed on their network. That being said, AT&T felt very strongly that Verizon’s ads on their coverage were missleading so much so they’ve actually filed a lawsuit against Verizon.

Rating the Commercial
I really like the testimonial from Luke Wilson, he comes off as a very down to earth celebrity and is very like-able. The commercial spots really played up this persona as well by having Luke’s dialogue interject a couple personal connections to some of the locations.

The use of the postcard gimmick was also really ingenious. Looking at a coverage map is a rather detached way of making a phone purchase decision. Putting it into perspective that all these places which are important to you, whether they are places where your family and friends are located or a vacation destination, drives a more human connection.

Conclusion
Verizon’s been on a roll with Droid and their aggressive attacks on AT&T, but these ads are a terrific response from AT&T. If the rest of this campaign features this kind of humor and ability to connect with the audience I think Verizon will have a fight on their hands.

Full Disclosure
So this is a bit outside of normal for me. If you’ve taken the time to read the about section of the site you’ll know I’m a Product Manager at Microsoft in the CE group. Given that, I try and stay about as far away from Microsoft topics as I can in a sort of separation of church and state sort of concept. It’s just usually bad news to cross your personal blogging efforts with your company. 

That being said, I try and be somewhat relevant to what is going on in the world, and well Windows 7 on October 22nd 2009 will be one of the biggest stories of the day. So here’s my take which is not in any way representative or endorsed by Microsoft. This is only my own personal view as a user of the product, a consumer, and someone who loved the new advertisements.

A New Breed of Advertising

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Windows 7 arrives amid a mix of the A-Team, a little girl, ponies, kittens, and awesomeness. Commercials dedicated to the fun, often random, whimsical desires of a diverse group of customers; who use their machines in any way but what is predictable. Finally the marketing for this product has caught up with the internet age; where people watch dogs on skateboards via YouTube or unfortunate pictures of failure at failblog and peopleofwalmart.

A Product That Fits
I’ve been using Windows 7 since it came out in beta and have loved every minute of it. One of my earliest memories of a Windows 7 “WOW!” moment came when I had a fellow Product Manager who wanted to get a second screen working with his Lenovo laptop so he could keep an eye on March Madness (NCAA Basketball) while he continued to work on his other screen.

Here’s how the scene played out (almost commercial like in its ability to pitch a product feature):

PM 1: He guys do you know anything about ATI drivers? I really need to figure out how to get this second monitor working, I’m missing the Michigan game.
PM2:Oh you actually don’t want to go to ATI’s website its more of a Lenovo issue you should head to their website, and look through the available drivers for that device.
Me:Or you could just click the Windows Update button, the Windows team understood how bad of an experience it could be to have to jump around all over the internet, and worked with their partners to get the drivers delivered via a Microsoft download.
PM2: Oh yeah…….
PM1: Let me try that.
<90 seconds pass> and PM 1 comes rushing back to my office.
PM1: It’s working and I can watch the game now. That was great.

The best thing I can say about the product is it works around your life. There are lots of features designed to make the places you were already going to that much easier to reach. That’s why I love the random and totally bizarre commercials with a little 5 year old rocking out on her PC, because that’s honestly how the product feels to me. 

Conclusion
As for the marketing, I love the little girl she humanizes this giant product, sells the right message (it really is that easy), and looks like she’s having a ton of fun doing it. Then you throw in some A-Team song and I’m all about it. Sure the ad is random but so are consumers, and that’s who needs to cuddle up with Windows 7.

Only concern I have with the advertising is I’d like to see more features outlined. That has been one of the showcases of the iPhone commercials which have been so successful. They show you how to use the product in a 30 second spot every time, and it’s something Microsoft should also be doing.

Stopped for gas and saw this sign. It’s interesting seeing these kinds of outside the box marketing. They really break through all the noise in the every day world that is packed with marketing.

My only question is if anyone would be offended by it or not?

Good marketing pushes the boundaries, bad marketing goes past them; but who defines what the boundary is?