The End of an Era

So, dear people, I think this will be a short post.  I know everyone loves my essay length thoughts about lots of "topical" things, but I'm feelin' a quickie.

The Era this title speaks of is a simple phrase, a phrase pushed into our skulls by modern advertising and common usage.  "Can you hear me now?" Short enough.  Pretty easy to say, pretty obvious what is going on, pretty clear that Verizon has questionable service all over America (I mean all that guy seems to do is ask if people can hear him...), but no more!  This is, indeed, a post about current technology and T.V.  Sorry for those who enjoy more esoteric topics.

Verizon, our beloved four-g, letter z using, Carson Daily look-alike contest winner of a company started an ad campaign many years ago that defined a new nation.  We need service.  We need to know where people are and what they are saying.  And we need to make sure they can hear us, because in this modern world if your voice does not make it through the mobile phone, onto the little invisible particles that are sent into space, and back again through the atmosphere into a friend's ear, we will perish.  And quickly.  Verizon sits high and mighty with AT&T (my personal provider, whadup unremarkable logo.  Is it a world?) as the two big phone networks in the U.S.

The campaign of "Can you hear me?" is actually pretty likeable, or at least I think it is, and through this Verizon is recognized.  Fairly recently, actually maybe at the Superbowl (see my American Tradition post), a new ad was released.

The camera follows a sleek black tablet-esque object through space.  The bands on its side shimmer in the distant galaxy's sun, it flips and turns and just pulsates with brilliance like no other object has in society before.  Epic music is playing.  People are probably making babies with this thing.  Oh, wait, it's an Iphone.  Damn, should have seen that coming.  The ad does this for a little while, pauses its music, pauses its visual; a silence is audible through America as many people hold their breath, and Verizon spokesmen Paul Marcaerilli (I looked it up) says, "I can hear you now."

What?  Did the invention of a single phone (invented quite some time ago I may add) just change a longstanding slogan for a national company?  I couldn't believe my ears.  The Iphone is great, really it is I have one and can't sleep or move or eat without knowing it has a charge and is listening, but it doesn't change the essence of a company.  I was shocked (as you can tell) that another product, another fiscal competing corporation (everyone watch out for Apple Phone Networks), could decide to do business with a company like Verizon, and in turn get hailed as "the answer."  I think they call the Iphone genius in the commercial after the jaw-dropping recognition of service.

Anyway, this is what I thought was interesting today.  In term's of writing, well I dunno.  It blows me away that a company would answer a logo based entirely on a question because a new model of an old phone came out.  This is the sort of culture change that interests me.  So if you don't have an Iphone can nobody hear you on Verizon?  That is what I'm thinking.  I don't know how this managed to turn into a longer post.  Too much free time on my hands.  I can hear you now, lateskies.

p.s. who saw the competing AT&T ad with the guy forgetting his anniversary?  Isn't stupidity and inattention to your spouse funny??