There’s a map for that…
If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then Verizon‘s recent “There’s a map for that.” commercial should make Apple, Inc. feel good, indeed!
(Note added November 7, 2009: Intuitively, I disagreed with folks who assumed that Apple might be upset by the Verizon ads. Also, my experiences as a Netscape employee based at Apple taught me that Apple employees and management have a well-developed sense of humor, in contrast to some other places where I have worked.)
Verizon (or its ad agency), please reward (handsomely) the INDIVIDUAL who first conceived the “There’s a map for that.” marketing line. (It is too brilliant to have been conceived by a team – inventions come from individuals, most of whom have signed away their rights in return for employment. 
)
So… why is the battle for the hearts and minds of wireless users important?
- First off, BOTH AT&T and Verizon OPPOSE wireless Net Neutrality.
- The market is more than 89% penetrated. Those without cell phones tend to be older or less educated or those who cannot afford them. In addition, there are cell phone refuseniks who comprise an ever-shrinking group of people (estimated at less than 5% of those who do not have cell phones). These folks resist cell phones for reasons related to life style. (… and are MUCH harder for their governments to track around! )
- Practically speaking, point #2 means that large telecommunications companies can only increase their user base significantly by “stealing away” users from their competitors. Some of the corollaries mean that large or small differentiators become very important, things like: network coverage (depending on customer travel habits and residence), network speeds, cost, and the number and types of shiny devices that can access the network (very important to the “gadget freaks” of the “technogeek subspecies” as well as to other types of customers).
- This should be #1, there are great gobs of MONEY in it! The great gobs of money relate to the number of customers, of course, but also to the nature of those bothersome CONTRACTS that keep us indentured servants to a particular telecommunications company for a specified period of time, and to the VERY important streams of DATA REVENUE. Data revenue is important because profitability is declining for voice services. Verizon has revised its data plan for non-smartphones. CNET notes that analysts predict a price war soon in the mobile market with regard to voice services. CNET quoted Forrester Research analyst , Charles Golvin, as stating, “Voice revenue is declining for the carriers, and the vision for the future is to use data revenue to make up for the shortfall and to kick ARPU (average revenue per user) into growth mode.” This could mean BIGGER cell bills for YOU! Not to mention, for all of the wireless gadgets that you don’t already own but may buy…!
- To come full circle: Verizon Communications CEO, Ivan Seidenberg, said today during Verizon’s third-quarter conference call that Verizon would be happy to have the iPhone on its network, but that it is not up to Verizon. CNET quotes Seidenberg as saying, “This is a decision that is exclusively in Apple’s court. We would obviously be interested at any point if they thought of us as a partner.”
Personally, I would love to see iPhone on Verizon’s network in addition to AT&T’s. Of course, so would a heckuva lot of other people (video)!
Competition is a good thing among the few remaining telecommunications companies.
It will be interesting to see how Apple plays its hand.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
You can view higher-resolution photos (*generally* 7-30 megabytes, compressed) at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. Apparel and other gifts decorated with some of our most popular photos can be ordered from the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Store on CafePress®. Both Shutterfly™ and CafePress® ship to most international locations worldwide! If you don’t see what you want or would like to receive an email when new photos are up on the site, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.
