Imagine you are Ivan G. Seidenberg, Verizon Wireless’ CEO, and all you hear from your friends and Wall Street is, “Ivan, why don’t you have the iPhone?”

You realize it probably would be really neat to have the iPhone, the hottest and clear standard bearer for smartphones in the world today. But you don’t have it, although you do have many other products. And as you survey your services, you realize that what you DO have is a Great Network.

Verizon Wireless’ new ads directly target the iPhone: “There’s a MAP for that” – a play on words from the iPhone’s “There’s an APP for that“. Verizon Wireless plays up their network and coverage, which is their big differentiator. So, while Verizon phones have “a map for that” – the iPhone doesn’t.

As a (loyal and still excited) iPhone owner who struggles with AT&T’s network limitations, I can attest to that fact.

So what do you do if you’re Verizon? Well, your clever ad folks would zoom in on that differentiator, and figure out that the one thing Verizon Wireless has to do is create a “compare and contrast” campaign based on this one area of clear superiority. Make the ads clever, make them smart, and make them funny.

In short, create an “ah-ha!” moment for anyone who has an iPhone: “I wish I WAS on Verizon.”

For anyone thinking about an iPhone, the red map versus the blue map visual in the ad causes one to pause and think “Wow, that IS quite a difference in coverage.” The red map is so dense, and the blue map is so… stark. If those coverage claims are true…well, then, that’s pretty important.I suspect this will be a very successful counter move on Verizon’s part that may not necessarily be measured by drastic increases in market share. It’s difficult to measure customer churn in the “dropping iPhone to go with Verizon” categories, since it’s a negative and hard to see, given all the new smartphone competition brewing. And, the iPhone is still the iPhone.

But frankly, it’s a brilliant way for Verizon Wireless to emphasize their I³ Value Proposition:

• Innovation – By focusing on the network – they create, affirm and extend their leadership in delivering services which lets me make a call wherever I am without hitting all the “dead spots” that other networks (AT&T) suffer from. So – not that new, but still unmatched.
• Indispensable – The commitment to an unparalleled network. Most analysts agree Verizon Wireless has the best network in the U.S. That is indispensible –period. And this is the strongest dimension of Verizon’s value prop.
• Inspirational – Not that sexy when compared to Apple’s app store, but again – it gets back to having that dial tone no matter where you are.

Which means, in I3 terms, that Verizon is “doubling down” on Indispensable and tracking rough parity on Innovation and Inspiration (see their efforts with Google Android over the next few months).

Is that enough? In many ways, it is an incredibly powerful value proposition for those looking for a complete and reliable (vs. sexy) experience – and a tempting one even for those (like me) who are waiting either for AT&T to get better (not holding breath) or for Ivan to get his iPhone!