Verizon: Flawless? No, Just Shameless

Commentary
Verizon: Flawless? No, Just Shameless
The telco's TV ad campaign for its high-def picture is highly misleading and should be investigated by the feds.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (April 17, 2008) -- For the past few months, Verizon has been running a TV commercial saying that CNET has called its FiOS TV service "near flawless."

Verizon has even added a page to its web site using the "flawless" theme -- verizon.com/flawless.

Problem is, CNET never said that the FiOS TV picture is "near flawless." What the technology's news site, News.com, did say in a news article is that the fierce competition among TV providers stresses the importance for Verizon to "offer a near-flawless TV experience."

See the difference? CNET said Verizon needs to offer a near-flawless experience, not that it currently offers one or that CNET's product reviewers have judged that the picture is near-flawless.

Verizon's "flawless" campaign is quite flawed.

But from that little morsel, Verizon has built an entire advertising campaign saying its FiOS TV experience is "near flawless." The telco has created the perception that a respected web site has judged that its HDTV picture is "near flawless" and, consequently, better than its cable and satellite competitors.

CNET has raised its objections with Verizon, saying the "flawless" comment was taken out of context.

"Nowhere does the News.com article give any opinion, implied or overt, about FiOS TV's actual picture quality. And CNET Reviews has not evaluated FiOS TV," the site states.

The site has also requested that the ad be pulled. Verizon has agreed to pull the ad, but not before May 15 when the campaign is scheduled to end.

But even if Verizon had the decency to take the ad down today, that's not enough. This ad is shameless, highly misleading and -- in my opinion -- should be investigated by the Federal Trade Commission.

Verizon has purposely tried to fool consumers into thinking that its high-def picture is somehow better than every other TV provider.

There's a word for that; it begins with an 'f" and it ain't "flawless."

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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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