Verizon "has a Map for that" taking on ATT and iPhone

I love it when an ad campaign comes along that delivers both competitive insight and creativity in a way that grabs my attention. The Apple "Mac vs. PC" ads are an example, and the Microsoft "I'm a PC" response campaign is also a terrific example. Rarely does a response ad campaign work. I think the Microsoft advertising works well to blunt the Apple ads, but Apple still wins on overall creativity.

However, today I heard the latest Verizon ad and I think it is one of the best recent examples of an effective competitive ad blended with excellent creativity driven by solid business strategy. The Verizon ad targets ATT by indirectly attacking the Apple iPhone (which is tied to the ATT 3G network in the U.S.) Verizon marketing executives and the ad agency wanted to promote the strength of the Verizon network versus the coverage of the ATT network. The ad tells us that if we want to see the Verizon network "we have a map for that" and if you want to compare it to the smaller ATT network "we have a map for that". It's a great play on words versus the iPhone "we have an App for that" spots. Creative. Benefit focused. Simple. That's one way to gain a return on your marketing and advertising budget.

Advertising Metrics Must Change with Advertising Models

Marketing measurement and key marketing metrics will change dramatically over the next 5 years. A recent study on the future of advertising conducted by IBM suggests that "the next 5 years will hold more change to the advertsing world than the past 50 years." These changes wil necessitate changes in traditional marketing metrics. Impressions and reach will diminish in value as metrics while deeper individual lead relationship metrics will evolve and become more critical strategic marketing metrics. The IBM study describes this scenario:

Imagine an advertising world where ... spending on interactive, one-to-one advertising formats surpasses traditional, one-to-many advertising vehicles, and a significant share of ad space is sold through auctions and exchanges. Advertisers know who viewed and acted on an ad, and pay based on real impact rather than estimated “impressions.” Consumers self-select which ads they watch and share preferred ads with peers. User-generated advertising is as prevalent (and appealing) as agency-created spots.

Four key drivers of this change are identified as: Attention (consumer in control), Creativity (user generated), Measurement, and Ad Inventory (increased use of emerging exchanges). How is your business set to handle this change? Will you lag or lead?