Comcast vs. the Big Old Expensive Phone Company
My favorites of the recent Comcast commercials are the "Big Old Expensive Phone Company" television spots by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
- BOEPC Broadway picks on telco DSL providers for being big, old, expensive, slow.
- BOEPC Guitar skewers phone companies for offering television.
The words are biting and the tunes are catchy kitsch; I sang along (video and lyrics below).
Good thing they don't compare their own Big Old Expensive Cable Company to Skype, Skype delivering comparable voice services for one tenth the price. Of course Skype's multimodal communication adds encryption, free calling in a worldwide network, instant messaging, video calls (conferencing soon), collaborative chats, file sharing, presence, mobile clients, desk phones, etc. Skype is still an ankle biter with about 500 employees (vs. AT&T's 300,000; get the T-shirt). Skypes path of innovation proves demand and opportunity.
The cable part of the ISP oligopoly picks on the telco part for voice and TV applications running on their capital intensive distribution system.
Skype is only one disrupter (more at eComm2008). Cannot wait to see what commercials get pulled out for Microsoft and Google.
BOEPC Broadway
(in the style of an over the top production number)
You're gonna pay.
(You're gonna pay)
You're gonna pay and pay
just to keep your phone
the same old way.
cause we're big
(really big)
and we're old.
(We're so old)
we're the Big Old Expensive Phone Com-pa-ny!
We cost much more than Comcast digital voice
and we do what we please
just check out your monthly bill
and look at all those fees
if you switch to Comcast
you will miss our fees
we're the big old expensive phone com-pa-ny
BOEPC Guitar
(in the style of a country or rock anthem)
America, ain't it great to be
with the Big Old Expensive Phone Company.
We're big and old and our profits are high
High like the eagle soaring in the sky
yeah
We'll do anything
just to make you pay
so please don't switch to
the Comcast triple play
Cause we've got TV service now too
it's not really our area of expertise
but we'll sell it to you
all you've got to do is pay
We can do TV too
just to boost our revenue.
Comcast ain't right for you.
stick with us
and we'll stick it to you.
Comments
Precisely. You got it right. Skype provides a much larger feature set than Comcast or any other "digital phone" carrier for about a quarter of the cost (at least in the USA). When/if Skype ever gets around to advertising that fact, the other guys are toast. However, I'm not sure this kind of advertising will ever happen because the "911" problem restricts Skype from representing itself as a "telephone" alternative. From a technological point of view, VOIP carriers such as Skype probably cannot solve the problem.
Posted by: Aaytch | February 17, 2008 08:40 AM
You wrote in part: Of course Skype's multimodal communication adds video calls (conferencing soon)
My question: WHEN ??? For well over a year I have been hearing "skype will be adding conferencing". But still noting definite. Only rumors.
Posted by: Stan | February 17, 2008 12:19 PM
Phil, FYI, I noticed that the videos now are "no longer available". Bummer as I looked forward to seeing them.
Dan
Posted by: Dan York | February 20, 2008 11:53 AM
They also don't say in the ad whether or not Comcast will interfere with your communications: on NetworkWorld.
Posted by: marcus | February 20, 2008 04:51 PM
The Big Old Expensive Phone Company is so cool. I wish I would grow up to be as cool as them.
Posted by: Jimmy Jam | March 26, 2008 04:47 PM