National Advertising Division Finds “Verizon Is the Number One Network Choice in Public Safety” Claim in Verizon Frontline Commercial Supported
New York, NY – May 2, 2023 – In a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge brought by AT&T Services, Inc., the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that the claim “Verizon is the number one network choice in public safety,” made by Verizon Communications, Inc. in a commercial for its Verizon Frontline service, is supported.
Verizon Frontline is Verizon’s dedicated wireless network solution for first responders and public safety personnel. Other carriers, including AT&T, also offer their own dedicated public safety network services.
NAD found the challenged claim conveys a message that Verizon’s Frontline product is chosen by more public safety agencies than comparable products of Verizon’s competitors – a message that was supported based on market share data.
At issue for NAD was whether the challenged commercial also conveys the broader superiority message that Verizon’s Frontline product is superior to its competitor’s offerings for public safety because it is more reliable, faster, or otherwise provides superior performance.
After considering the messages reasonably conveyed, NAD determined that the commercial did not convey such a message because it did not “blur” the basis of Verizon’s #1 choice claim with performance superiority.
As a result, NAD determined that the challenged claim that “Verizon is the number one network choice in public safety,” in the context of the commercial in which it appeared, is supported.
In its advertiser statement, Verizon stated that it is “pleased with the decision.”
All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive.
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