Less is More

If you are familiar with the Cold War, you know that some of the tactics included the strategic use of propaganda: deceptive or distorted information that is systematically spread by, in this case, the government. Among other things, the Cold War was the medium for both sides to prove that their country and form of government was the strongest.

Today, a very different Cold War is taking place, the 3G War. The war is between the iPhone wielding AT&T and Verizon Wireless. The argument is very simple. First, Verizon Wireless released commercials bloating, “we have 5 times more 3G coverage nationwide.” Then, AT&T released commercials with the argument that “you can surf the web while talking on the phone. You can’t on AT&T.” (Note that AT&T didn’t exactly argue the claims of their competitor.)

Both arguments seem legitimate, but I believe Verizon Wireless comes out on top because they convey their message with one simple idea: “our maps are bigger than your maps.” Upon further review, however, the claims by Verizon Wireless are a bit misleading. The commercials by Verizon Wireless only compare 3G network coverage, not coverage of the older 2G network. In other words, Verizon Wireless claims that it can deliver the faster 3G coverage to more Americans than AT&T.

Check out a couple commercials and decide for yourself who gives the more compelling argument. When you’re finished watching, take a few seconds to vote on who you believe is the best cell phone carrier:

My brother pointed this whole debacle out a couple weeks ago. More commercials like these are plastered all over the Internet. Ahh… these videos give me the feeling that elections are coming up again.