This week T-Mobile decided to launch the “verHIDEzon” campaign, complete with billboards, a Twitter account and website. The mobile company's campaign is a sly dig at the flaws in Verizon’s recent rollout of 5G.
The campaign against Verizon came to light after its decision to charge extra for access to 5G technology, and to not publish any 5G coverage maps. T-Mobile decided to step in …
“Verizon’s been talking a big game”
T-Mobile believes that it's offering a much better service, and certainly isn’t afraid to shout about it. T-Mobile CEO John Legere said, “Verizon’s been talking a big game about 5G, charging more for it and not even giving customers a map to find it."
However, the company wanted to take it further than just bad-mouthing Verizon, and it has created an entire campaign to tear them down instead.
The Twitter account @verHIDEzon has shared a series of memes, short videos, polls and tweets, all making fun of Verizon’s new 5G. On top of this, the website also features fake customer testimonials and a humorous about us section.
What's your favorite part about trying to find VerHIDEzon 5G?September 17, 2019
The website reads, “Welcome to VerHIDEzon. Where you Pay More for 5G…Then Guess Where to Find It. It’s just that simple." T-Mobile definitely isn’t afraid to say what it thinks!
But why?
"They're launching 5G in a few limited outdoor areas of a few cities -- and parts of some football stadiums -- and charging their customers more for that limited 5G."
John Legere, T-Mobile CEO
John Legere has also posted a blog post explaining why the “VerHIDEzon” campaign began, "They're launching 5G in a few limited outdoor areas of a few cities -- and parts of some football stadiums -- and charging their customers more for that limited 5G ($480 more per year for a family of four)!" Legere wrote. "To top it all off, they're refusing to show customers exactly where their 5G is!"
But the jury is still out on whether this is a good piece of marketing from T-Mobile. Tearing down a competitor, whilst trying to demonstrate how your own service is better, is a tough trick to pull off.
And whilst T-Mobile has promised not to charge extra for the use of its 5G, and has gone on to publish precise coverage maps so people know where to find it, it still has poor coverage (T-Mobile’s own 5G has only currently launched in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Cleveland and Atlanta).
Whichever company you side with, now might be a good time to grab some popcorn and see how Verizon reacts to this confrontational campaign.
