*Please pardon the un-styled mess why I am rethinking and re-designing my blog!*
First, let me start off by saying that I love technology, and I think that the Android platform is pretty cool. I’m glad to see competition in the realm of reallyfreakingcoolcellphones, but the marketing of Verizon’s Droid struck a nerve with me.
First, before you read my silly little rant, check out the website and watch the commercial.
My first impression of the iDon’t campaign is that its negative.
The text of the iDon’t commercial:
This commercial reminds me of all the silly and petty political smear campaigns that made me really dislike election season. I know they are trying to point out that this phone does way more than the iPhone, but its just an immature way to point it out.
While some of the “iDon’ts” are true there are other ways to customize your iPhone. If you jailbreak your iPhone you can do 3/4ths of these things anyways… I’m currently running my NPR app while using tweetdeck (via backgrounder) and I have completely customized the way my phone looks. 
*I should also note that I’m not the biggest fan of the I’m a mac, I’m a PC Apple commercials. I much prefer the simple commercials showing the apple products (iphone, ipod etc) and a hand.
My next beef with the Droid campaign is the graphic elements. Does anyone else think think all the red, black and texture look amateur? My initial reaction is – hey that looks like someone followed a Photoshop tutorial and branded the entire campaign with a cheezy semi-futuristic rock/metal texture. It just looks horrible! I’m just kind of amazed and confused, and wondering how much they paid an advertising agency to design this stuff!
The website is all flash (my thoughts on all flash sites) and has an annoying sound track of effect sounds to further enforce that grungy industrial look and feel. After navigating through a few pages I left because I found the text (light gray on dark gray texture) very hard to read not to mention that the circular navigation is horrible!
If the Droid is going after the iPhone market – you would think that they would try to learn something from Apple’s neat and clean design aesthetic. The droid phone itself is pretty neat and clean – so im not sure where they are getting the ‘grungy cool’ from. Perhaps they are going in the opposite design direction just to be different?
Is this campaign going to be a success for Verizon? Are you going to buy a Droid phone? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
[25] Comments
Posted in All Things Apple, design, technology, Web 2.OH
[...] Incidentally, it appears we’re not the only ones with strong opinions on Droid’s marketing… plenty of people out there either love it or hate it. [...]
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Michael Wilson says:
It's a difficult one this.
While I agree with your points that negative advertising is a bad thing and the strength of the droid adverts is pretty poor, Apple do this type of advertising all the time and it's kinda time someone did it to them.
(I am an apple fanboy BTW and have loads of mac hardware) I don't ever think advertisers should be allowed to mention what competitors do (or don't in this case) because it's a really unprofessional way to do things. Concentrate on your strengths not their weaknesses!
November 6th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
nikibrown says:
Micheal,
I totally agree – i think they should focus on the features of the phone, now how it blows the competition out of the water.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Michael Morris says:
It's a common and effective strategy for the trailing competitor to attack the leader in any product or service category. Not necessarily a heart-warming approach, but it does generally work. People who love the #1 product will be annoyed at #2 for poking at their favored product, but people who are disgruntled with #1 product, as well as those who have been waiting for an alternative, will flock to #2. So it's good positioning. It's exactly the same approach that Apple has taken in their Mac and PC ads.
As for the graphics, they don't look amateur to me; just dated. And the wheel navigation is clever, but not very user-friendly.
Like you said, Niki, what the phone can do for me is more interesting than what iDoesn't do (How's that for grammar?).
November 6th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
briceshepherd says:
I definitely agree with you on the "negative campaigning." I hate that. While the Droid tells us all the things the iPhone can't do it doesn't tell you all the the things the Droid CAN do. There are many features of the Droid that I think will blow the iPhone out of the water… the built in turn-by-turn directions, which will cost an arm and leg to get on the iPhone is pretty sweet. Also, the fact that there's an optional dock that automatically turns the phone into an alarm clock, radio, and weather guide is also neat. The thing I don't like though, is the keyboard. If you're going to include a full QWERTY and a touch screen (a good one at that) what the hell is with the "d-pad" to the right of the keyboard?!? Either get rid of it and make a bigger and better keyboard OR get rid of the keyboard all together and make the phone thinner and lighter. Another thing… how about more than 3 screens for apps. The iPhone supports like 9 or 10 or something like that. OH! and where the hell is multi-touch?
All of these things I mention are things I've seen and read from reviews. I'm on Verizon, but I have a regular ol' music phone (1st gen Chocolate) and I love the VZW service (I don't ATT at my house), BUT I also have an iPhone 3G through work and I LOVE IT! If I didn't work where I do, still live where I do now and had to pay for my own smart phone, I think I'd give the Droid a shot… if I didn't like it I could always trade it in for a Blackberry Tour or Storm 2, but given my current situation and the fact that I love the iPhone and have a MacBook Pro I'm going to stick with Apple for now and for as long as I can. Hopefully the rumors of the iPhone come to VZW will be true, that way when I DO finally upgrade my 2 1/2 year old Chocloate it's to a device I know I'll love.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
awesomerobot says:
Well, I don't blame them. Their competition isn't other phones, it's the iPhone – you can list features all day long, but because of the overall market perception people will still THINK the iPhone is superior (even if it isn't) because really, the majority of people have no idea which phones have which features. So, as negative as the ad is, it makes it pretty clear that if you think the iPhone looks cool, you should check this out.
This isn't an ad for tech nerds who already know what the difference is, it's for the average consumer who just wants the best new thing, and doesn't actually want to make that decision on their own. In reality, I think it's the only way to compete with such a juggernaut like the iPhone. Take a look at the Palm Pre's approach – it's a great little phone, but no one has any idea what it is – and would automatically assume the iPhone is superior (though, this is partly because they have a really bizarre ad campaign).
You also have to keep in mind that there are a lot of people who are blindly anti-Apple (just as there are many who are blindly pro-Apple) and this just solidifies the idea that if you want an awesome phone, and NOT and iPhone, that this is the phone you need.
The other marketing for the Droid, as you said – isn't very pleasing visually, but it's Verizon – that's just not what they do, and oddly enough there's a market for that.
Overall on the phone, it's something to pay attention to – Verizon's network is actually superior to AT&T's, and the 3G coverage is waaaaay better. They have an ad showing this, and it's a good move because if anything, someone needs to push AT&T to improve their network. I'd consider switching if I didn't have another year or so left on my contract.
Another thing to note, is that while the Droid hardware is pretty good, the real winner here is the Android 2.0 platform – a ton of phones are coming down the pipeline, and display some pretty nifty features (especially Google's new FREE navigation software). There's also a GSM Motorola Droid in the works, which seems like it'll come to AT&T – which would be nice.
So overall, on the competition and smear advertising – honestly, I love it and I think it's great for the market as long as it's kept honest. It forces the competition to take notice and to work better at actually improving. As I said earlier, the iPhone is great – but as far as networks go, AT&T really needs a kick in the ass.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Renee says:
I actually liked the commercial when I FIRST saw it, because I subconsciously thought "Oh another Apple commercial" and then I was surprised—like a crazy twist ending in a movie. But after time number 4+ I began to think it was annoying and no longer liked it… I guess because it really is a negative ad. It's like when you tease a friend for something once, then after the 8th time it gets old. Kinda like that.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Tanja says:
I agree with the comments above that negative campaigning is lame, BUT I really really like it that someone does it to Apple who has practiced this for such a long time now. And the ad pretty much tells me everything I need to know: it's able to do everything the iPhone can't. Which is a huge advantage.
And you said it yourself: you had to jailbrake your iPhone in order to customize it. And the iPhone's price is just ridiculous.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Niki Brown says:
Anyone have any comments or thoughts on the design of the campaign?
November 6th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Aaron says:
Whether or not you like negative ad campaigns, the first time I saw this commercial I have the exact opposite reaction. I thought it was an iPod commercial out of the corner of my eye and then I paid attention and realized the message. They did a great job of mimicking in order to be negative and ironic. Can't say I agree with you on this one but I am glad you brought the conversation up
November 6th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Aaron says:
Couldn't agree with you more Tanja. That's why I enjoyed it, they did a good job at playing Apple's own game.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Carrie S. says:
Personally, I think the overall look is a bit…dated. Reminds me of mid-'90s, B-level industrial music videos (though, maybe I'm revealing too much of my own personal history with that comment). I think it looks more like someone's college project than a campaign launching a product of this magnitude.
I can understand them wanting to set themselves apart from the iPhone's clean, minimalist approach, but there are a million better ways to do it than resorting to faux cement and ominous drones. Bleck.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Rick Terrill says:
I don't think their strategy is to win over iPhone users. Actually, I think their strategy is to win over those put off by the pretentiousness of the iPhone and its users (myself gleefully included). This ad campaign is designed to appeal to the Nascar loving, Windows running masses. In that regard, I think their design is great. It's not my personal cup of tea, and no it's not particularly skillful and far from subtle. But, they hired a strategy-focused ad agency for this campaign – not a design boutique.
Will the Droid become the Windows 95 to the iPhone's Mac OS? I hope not, but I think that's what they're going for and I think that's what the design reflects
November 6th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
awesomerobot says:
it's pretty typical for verizon to be behind the curve on design. They take everything bad in design from 5 years ago and do it.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
awesomerobot says:
Also, check out Google.com – now there's a hell of an advertisement for the Droid.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Michael Morris says:
It’s a bit dated, and the UX is poor. I think that they should have gone with a clean, black look to contrast with Apple’s clean, white look.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
nikibrown says:
i looked… and was like.. what? advertisement? ha! I guess that is a pretty big deal if they are linking from the homepage of google.com
November 6th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Kelly says:
I live under a rock so I didn't even hear about this campaign yesterday.. BUT… I kind of agree with what Mr. Wilson said up there – the "smear campaign"-type ads are EXACTLY what those Mac vs PC ads are doing. (While interesting at first, those have definitely outworn their welcome and need to go to the ad agency in the sky). I suppose it's only fair that someone else does it back to them.
Otherwise I suppose I need to look at more than your screenshots before I offer any other opinions. So mostly I'm just echoing other comments and adding to valuable insight whatsoever.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
redwall_hp says:
I think the way Apple does it is much more tasteful. They never flat-out have the character symbolizing Apple say anything bad. They have the "PC" talk and *imply* things in a somewhat humorous manner. They don't flat-out say "Windows sucks because of fill-in-the-blank," which is what Verizon/Motorolla are doing.
November 6th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
hiphopmakers says:
I think you putting down the phone because of what you to consider AMATEUR graphics is stupid. Sorry.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Dan Collins says:
I think the campaign is expected. It’s nothing special and not that conceptually creative. With a product like Droid, I’d expect something a lot better to sell it.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am
ed the chic says:
amateur graphics? yes.
smear campaign tactics? yes.
confusing design layout? yes.
makes me want to try it because i don't like iphone nor do i think you should have to "jailbreak" something in order to use it to its full extent and then replace the battery without having to deal with the friggin apple customer service and be able to stay with my service provider who i really really like? yes.
November 7th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Lilian says:
I blogged about the smear campaign between Mac & PC once – my view is that I don't care who wins, but I want there to be blood. It's entertaining in the least, whether it is Mac vs. PC or iPhone vs. the Hal 9000. Which is what this phone reminds me of with the 'red eye' looking out from this imposing dark metal. I actually find it a little scary, like this piece of sentient industrial metal is out to get me for liking another product. Did they intend on making their product look like an intimidating Terminator phone? I can't say if I like or dislike what they've done. Maybe if it didn't take itself so seriously it could have been an effective twist on the usual 'clean' aesthetic of technology products.
November 8th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Nate says:
Yeah. I completely agree with the poor design of the site. My biggest complaint was having certain “bullet points” that weren’t clickable. In addition the the extremely generic facts that working ones did point out. Even my grandparents know what a text message is. I really dislike when extremely obvious features get pointed out (do they even make phones without SMS anymore), when you can’t click on the icon for Exchange to find out how well you can actually integrate it into a corporate environment – just one example.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Ivan Tolmachev says:
It's pretty obvious that I won't buy a droid phone, since I have a new iphone right now, however with the negative advertisement, i think, the company is doing a good thing.. You obviously want to hit the leader to get to the top, that's what they're doing
I liked their commercial. The site does look weak..
November 13th, 2009 at 6:09 am