Sprint steals Verizon's "Can You Hear Me Now?" Guy

"Hey, I'm Paul, and I used to ask 'if you could hear me now?' with Verizon. Not anymore." Remember this guy?

Honestly, I didn't remember Paul at all when he was Verizon. But when he made the switch to Sprint? That's what made Paul memorable. To me, it's a bit of a low blow to steal another company's spokesperson. As a bit of a cynic, I imagine that Sprint is just offering the actor who plays Paul more money than Verizon was. I hardly believe that Paul is a real customer who decided that he likes Sprint better, but yet, I still believe what he says. It even resonates me.

Aside from the fact that Paul's switch seems more like a bribe than genuine customer loyalty, what he says catches your attention. With the advancement of technology, network coverage and speed is no longer noticeably different from one wireless provider to the other. That's what Sprint capitalizes on. Their coverage is basically the same speed, but Sprint claims that its price is under half of Verizon's. To most consumers now, that's what matters.

It seems like the trend of taking direct shots at your competitor is becoming more and more popular. For example, Wendy's is a flat out troll on Twitter. Everyone hates trolls, but everyone loves Wendy's Twitter account. There's something personal about businesses talking dirt on their competitors. As consumers, we want to lean in and say, "yeah, McDonald's beef is definitely frozen — I'm glad Wendy's is calling them out."

When a company gets slightly unprofessional and starts talking "at" their competitors instead of just "subtweeting," it makes them more human. It's like these advertisements break down the barrier between company and consumer. In a world where everyone is busy showing off their highlight reel of accomplishments, it's refreshing to hear a company spokesperson level honestly with you...even if they're probably getting paid a lot of money to read the script and make it seem genuine. For me, it works.