AT&T Needs Additional PR Coverage When Verizon Enters the Market

A friend sent me this hilarious clip from “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”  The clip is about a segment they aired regarding Verizon becoming a wireless carrier for the iPhone.  Stewart made fun of the fact that with AT&T as the primary carrier of the iPhone, now users will have freedom to choose another service. For if you know of anyone with an iPhone, their main complaint is the number of calls that drop because of its coverage. That’s pretty wide spread knowledge and one AT&T has been trying to improve.

I CAN HEAR YOU

But, after I watched that clip, I thought this would be a great example for a PR case study. For once you watch this clip, it is not a hero piece for AT&T. In fact, it pretty much shows that the sentiment of its users “hate” the service. This is not the type of content any company would want to be shared.

If you headed AT&T’s corporate communications department, how would you counter this video?

COUNTER ATTACK

The advice I would give AT&T is produce a commercial or commercials showcasing the incredible events that have been covered by real-people with iPhones. I’d have real-users tell inspiring stories. For instance, here’s an example of what I am looking for….someone to say “Through the iPhone I shot video of my son being born.” Or “through my iPhone, my grandma viewed my wedding”. “Or through the iPhone I talked to my children in Indiana while I served in the military.” Things like that.

People do talk and share through their iPhone on AT&T and I’d highlight all those success stories. I’d do whatever it takes to keep customers on AT&T and not jumping ship to Verizon. AT&T needs more PR coverage especially now.

Enjoy the clip.