Move Over Cable!

There is one commercial that always brings me to a giggle when I watch it, and it's the Verizon Fios commercial. What's so amusing about this commercial is how it manages to put down Cablevision in a witty and very calculated manner.
It's calculated in the sense that there is a clear story line that progresses in each subsequent commercial. It's interesing to see how each character, The Fios installation guy vs. the Cablevision installation guy, is portrayed. The Fios guy is slim, decent-looking, knowledegable, younger, etc. The Cablevision guy is heftier, slightly balding, not as accomplished as his rival, and frankly, pathetic in his jealousy and competitive nature. But in the first commercial (which I've had trouble locating), the Cablevision guy is shocked to find that a competitor exists, and that his competitor is offering a better product and stealing his customers. From then on, the Cablevision guy made it his goal to succeed as the Fios man was. Each commercial ends in his utter failure. However, both men seem to get to know one another better in each commercial; almost as if they are "Frenemies." Here are two links to the commercials, and you can see the growth in their relationship between each commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKt2n45UGHU&feature=related
&
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWb4VucWwOQ

An interesting but also predicted outcome of these commercials is that Cablevision, owned by Time Warner, refuses to air these commercials on their channels. This is a logical step for the company to take, but I've also heard that they are launching a campaign in response to these commercials, which are meant to be a spoof. I haven't caught one yet, but apparently, they are my mom's favorite! Essentially, as I was mentioning in class, these two rival companies offer more or less the same product, with minor variations. There are so few major conglomerates that own everything we watch on television or read in print. It's interesting to see this competition play itself out on television...