On Friday, Verizon debuted the above TV spot that directly attacks AT&T. In “Bad Idea,” a group of middle-aged, basketball-playing men discuss horrible ideas while stretching courtside. After each shares his foolishness, a title card with the words “BAD IDEA” appears on screen. If the ad looks familiar, it’s because it was done before on an episode of Saturday Night Live from the early ’90s.
In “Bad Idea Jeans,” we see, well, pretty much the exact same thing, right down to the basketball and stretching. Okay, so maybe Verizon meant “Bad Idea” to be seen by viewers as an homage to the SNL original. But, if that’s the case, is this now a green light for advertisers everywhere to start re-purposing satirical ads for actual products? If so, maybe AT&T can strike back against Verizon with the aid of “Happy Fun Ball.”