What’s Up With Those Wireless Attack Ads?

Late in 2015 Verizon rolled out a television commercial that depicts colorful balls rolling down four ramps to illustrate its claim of having a “better network” than its competitors. Recently, two of the competitors named in that commercial — Sprint and T-Mobile — hit back at Verizon with response ads of their own featuring almost identical visuals. The commercials aired the same weekend millions tuned in to watch the National Football League’s playoff games.

The advertising war highlighted the intensity with which competitor wireless companies such as Sprint and T-Mobile chase the powerhouse legacy networks, Verizon and AT&T. Public opinion matters dearly to these smaller companies trying to catch up to the subscriber numbers of the two major providers. Their response ads attempt to highlight that they are making progress in that regard.