I’ll start off my post with a question. Can anyone tell a different between Rogers and Bell ads? I could until today. While watching TV I happened to catch one of Rogers/Bell spots.  I didn’t pay that much attention to it as I was walking away to grab a cup of tea. However, I did catch a few seconds of the visuals (the blue and red couch) and heard the whole voiceover. But as I returned to the living room, it occurred to me that I wasn’t sure who the ad was for. Was it a Rogers ad or a Bell ad?

A little bit of a background for my international readers and friends. Here in Canada, the dominant telecommunications companies are Rogers and Bell, and some would argue Telus belongs up there as well. Both Rogers and Bell compete with one another head-to-head on services such as internet, wireless service, home phone, and TV. In the past few weeks Rogers and Bell have been running ads indirectly referring to one another via imagery why one is better than the other. But somehow the ads from both camps are starting to look almost identical. Even their websites are taking on the same imagery and color schemes.

 

According to The Toronto Star article Good News For Us in Rogers, Bell Phone Fight both companies are ‘waging a war for your business’ as they get ready for new service providers to enter the market later this year. Having almost identical ads doesn’t help either camp, unless the campaigns are aiming to confuse everyone.