Mixed Signals: Fast Phones Expose Your Inner Ugly

Mixed Signals is Erin Straza’s weekly musing about marketing miscellany in advertising, branding, and messaging.

Advertising isn’t all that complicated. Simply show the greatness of having product X as compared to the awfulness of not having product X, and you’ve demonstrated just cause for a purchase.

A recent campaign by AT&T uses this sort of comparison in its TV spots (additional spots linked below):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WKX46HCaxA

AT&T uses this comparison technique to demonstrate how its speedy phones deliver information faster than competing brands. It compares the “Haves” with the “Have Nots”, just as other successful messages do. Initially, the situations, the commentary, and the facial expressions in the ad made me laugh. But the more I saw them, I realized the overly sarcastic delivery interferes with the basic formula.

The use of sarcasm in advertising is common. The humor of mocking and exaggerating real-life situations can be quite effective in demonstrating a key selling point. I’m sure that’s what AT&T was shooting for.

This is why: Typically the “Haves” are the ones we are supposed to aspire to. They have the product, and whoever doesn’t have it, wants it. But in this campaign, the “Haves” aren’t so nice to be around. I find myself disassociating from the “Haves” because their freaky fast phones bring out the ugly in them. They may have the product, but I’m not sure I want to aspire to their status.

Is this what happens when you buy an AT&T phone? You become mean and arrogant? Maybe being the first to know everything gives you an edge over others, and that edge goes straight to your head, causing you to belittle those around you. With your superior knowledge, you can’t help but sneer at the sad attempts of the “Have Nots” to keep up with you.

The message exposes something that isn’t much of a selling point for these phones. Our need to know more than everyone else can override our social graces. Sometimes having the latest and greatest the market has to offer plays right into our pride, and we become the worst versions of ourselves.

From that perspective, these TV spots are a bit painful to watch. I see way too much of myself in the “Haves”. And even when I haven’t verbalized my disdain toward the “Have Nots” who know less than me, it’s still there inside my heart, making all sorts of noise as it darkens me with pride.

This need for knowledge is exactly what led Adam and Eve to eat from a certain tree of the same name. The knowledge they gained wasn’t quite what they had expected. And I believe the same could be said about what’s gained from having the fastest phone. The knowledge gained just may have a hidden cost that we won’t surface until after we’ve consumed it. By then, it may be too late because your inner ugly may be out for the world to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4OcKGklrXk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvVVQGgbKk0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzTy9_xS1yA