Droid does… Android vs. iPhone OS

Oct 19, 2009 by Mario Canamar    No Comments    Posted under: Uncategorized

Verizon has launched an aggresive baiting campaign and its breaking the iPhone’s marketing to give Android’s spot in the world of smartphones (and very soon, superphones).

Verizon’s new ad not only spoofs and mocks iPhone’s advertising style, but completely trashes iPhone’s known issues and annoying quirks.

I know most people feel compelled to justify the expensive iPhone purchase and pretend the iPhone has no faults, but just as Verizon’s ad points out, it does have many of them.

The add completely breaks iPhone advertisement by smashing the “pretty” factor associated with iPhone and contrasting it against Android’s might and power. The message is pretty clear… that and that Verizon is not getting iPhone service.

I wrote an article talking about what “real marketing does” and showing a dissection of Steve Jobs’ state address and the usage of keywords tied to specific products. This is another kind of “real marketing”, were Verizon takes a highly beloved and publicized concept and turns it completely in its head. That’s pretty much taking the bull by the horns. Will this strategy ultimately work? Will the “Droid Does” campaign put a dent in Apple’s impressive marketing machinery? We’ll see, may the best marketing team win.

Food for thought:

1. Droid makes clear reference to Android (Google’s cellphone OS based on Linux)

2. The website is similar to the TV commercial, but adds an interesting couple of lines: “Don’t you wish you had a robot sidekick that moved at light speed, could get you out of any problem and lived in your pocket?”

3. For fast readers, did you notice that at the bottom of the commercial a line stated: “Droid is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd., licensed to Verizon.”?

Got anything to say? Go ahead and leave a comment!