Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!bu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: The Right Choice Message-ID: <68878@bu.edu.bu.edu> Date: 15 Nov 90 21:04:38 GMT Sender: news@bu.edu.bu.edu Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Lines: 35 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 826, Message 9 of 12 Dan Breslau writes: [a story about AT&T's silly and stupid advertising and how it apparently conflicted with a {Wall Street Journal} article] This past election, if serving no other purpose, should have convinced the last hold-outs that a person cannot, repeat CANNOT, base a purchasing, financial, or voting decision based on advertising. Advertising is designed to sell products, not to be critically analyzed or studied to collect information. The big-three IECs are no different when it comes to misleading and ridiculous media hype. I use Sprint and AT&T. Sprint has advantages in some areas, AT&T in others. Sprint has generally lower INTERstate rates, while INTRAstate is about on a par with AT&T. Audio quality is even-Steven. AT&T offers its usual little-known services such as foreign language translation, deaf forwarding, the ability to reach inward numbers at LECs (such as repair), etc. Sprint's billing is far superior and much more detailed (at least on my commercial account). Sprint allows 800 and 950 access to it's network (to get around errant COCOTs), but AT&T's calling card is easier to use in non-restrictive situations. It is one's right to be offended by any image or face a company puts forward and even a right to take whatever action is deemed appropriate. But I would hate to think that someone was depriving him/herself of the best or most appropriate product because of an attitude generated from advertising. Especially if that attitude was already present and the advertising merely provided a convenient justification to perpetuate a possibly unwarranted opinion. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@bovine.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !