If you read AT&T and T-Mobile's dueling ads you might think you are reading a description of a grammar school breakup, not two powerful corporations who were trying to shack up very recently. Things are bad. AT&T and T-Mobile are airing their dirty laundry in ad form and the public has to watch.
AT&T pulled the trigger when it began running ads in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, criticizing its ex-acquisitionee. Like any spurned young lover, T-Mobile got down and dirty and is getting ready to release its own ads, insulting AT&T in a manner you thought you might be reading on a Facebook page, not a national public advertisement. Let's not forget that these two companies wanted to hook up a few months ago, but AT&T ultimately decided not to purchase T-Mobile.
AT&T's ad read:
"The truth about T-Mobile's network compared to AT&T:
2X more dropped calls
2x more filed calls
50% slower download speeds"
That's all it took to send T-Mobile spiraling out of control and acting like a young spurned lover. Tmonews got hold of the new T-Mobile ads it will use to respond to AT&T, and they're pretty entertaining. One ad reads:
"IF AT&T THOUGHT OUR NETWORK WASN'T GREAT. WHY DID THEY TRY TO BUY IT?"
Another ad reads:
"CAN YOU SEE THE BEADS OF SWEAT IN THIS AD?"
Another ad reads:
"WHAT KEEPS AT&T UP AT NIGHT? APPARENTLY US"
The two mobile carriers are at war after their failed acquisition. It seemed like both companies respected each other, for a short time at least, but it's clear, this is all about business.
AT&T is targeting T-Mobile as it rebrands itself the "Uncarrier" in the U.S.. It's a risky gamble to do away with contracts completely, pay for devices over an extended period of time and more. T-Mobile is also busy building its very own 4G LTE network and is expecting to have it up and running in select areas very soon.
AT&T is showing it's worried that T-Mobile's gamble might pay off and that's showing through weird, yet somewhat entertaining and expensive advertising; a fight both companies have decided to display in public.
