dattier@ddsw1.mcs.com (David Tamkin) (09/18/90)
J. Eric Townsend wrote in volume 10, issue 651: | In a propaganda class the other day, we were watching an episode of | Nightline. It was full of Sprint's "Lighten up, AT&T" series of | adverts. | My question is this: Could AT&T, if it wanted, decide to attack | carrier X? ie: "Carrier X says they give you better prices, but | it's not true. AT&T is much cheaper." Or are they somehow legally | required to say: "Some other carriers say they give you better prices, | but it's not true."? Law, schmaw; it's standard advertising practice. The company [that is or believes it is] in the #1 position *never* names the competition in its commercials or ads; competitors, however, figure everyone has heard of #1 anyway and that they must go directly after the leader's customers, so they don't worry that mentioning #1's name will be free publicity for #1. But the leader will just reassert how wonderful it is and give no reminder of competitors' names; at the most, #1 will tell you that it is "best". Royal Crown tells you their cola tastes better than Pepsi or Coke and that people will go out of their way for it; Pepsi tells you people prefer Pepsi to Coke but never mentions RC; Coke tells you that they are an unassailable component of the American tradition and never even hint that other colas, other soft drinks (even Coke's own products), or any other beverages exist; the alternative to drinking Coca-Cola is purportedly death by thirst. The long-distance telephony industry is just as full of gas as carbonated beverages are. David Tamkin Box 7002 Des Plaines IL 60018-7002 708 518 6769 312 693 0591 MCI Mail: 426-1818 GEnie: D.W.TAMKIN CIS: 73720,1570 dattier@ddsw1.mcs.com