We Changed Everything About the Name!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mZ1ujCNQE
I just saw this Verizon commercial and I had a pretty good laugh. I had seen Xfinity commercials, but I didn’t put “2 and 2” together. The ad for it even mentioned Comcast and it went right over my head. It’s funny that it isn’t until Verizon comes along that I see it’s Comcast. The FIOS Guy vs Cable Guy campaign has been going on for some time now and it’s pretty good. The humor is light, but it packs a punch. Verizon delivers again because until now, Cable Guy was just Cable Guy, but now he’s Xfinity. I love it!
We just had this discussion in one of my classes (Strategy and Positioning) a couple of days ago. The danger in Comcast’s reposition is that we consumers may not believe it. “Welcome to more choice, more control, more speed, and more HD than ever before.” That’s a hefty claim. Xfinity has more channels, more options, more HD compatibility, and the fastest speeds? That sounds too good to be true. This claim should be less ambiguous. If it specifically stated that Xfinity has each of these improvements in comparison to Comcast’s previous offering, I think it could be taken seriously. Because it’s vague, we are supposed to believe that Xfinity has a leg up over Verizon (or pretty much anyone else). I’m not biased towards Verizon either I actually abandoned Verizon DSL not long ago. Why would Verizon claim that nothing has really changed about Xfinity?
It’s time for another lesson on fallacy. This time I give you False Dilemma. As I was saying, Xfinity’s claims are somewhat vague. If there is any discrepancy between which service is better, it’s up to us consumers to decide. Xfinity’s spot mentions 3 main features: TV, internet, and phone. It doesn’t really elaborate on “voice.” It appears in the spot in name only. That leaves TV and internet. Is Xfinity really the fastest and does it really have the most channels? Suppose we know from experience that Verizon is better in just one of these areas, the fallacy that we are supposed to assume that Xfinity is automatically better in the other area. It’s possible that Xfinity isn’t better than Verizon in any area. That’s why Verizon claims that only the name is better and that the name “changes everything.”
In an earlier post I covered the same thing, but in a different context. It has been a month or so since Nationwide’s campaign launch and as good as the spot was, it’s gone. By making an ambiguous (or false) claim, people could easily confuse Nationwide’s spokesperson for Geico’s. It wasn’t the claim alone, but the imagery was similar too. Tell me this Xfinity spot can’t pass for a FIOS spot! I think Nationwide got the idea and quickly decided to move on. I honestly don’t think Comcast will concede. After all, look at AT&T and Verizon. One of them is better. One of them has to be better. Yet each of them claims that it isn’t the other. Verizon is fighting on multiple fronts. Maybe that’s why Xfinity didn’t elaborate at all about it’s phone service. Verizon can handle the heat. I wonder if Xfinity will respond.
