Incredible? I'd settle for credible.

Maybe you've seen this AT&T commercial.  I know Jaffe has because over the course of the past week or so, I've heard him rip into it on no fewer than three separate occasions.  Take half-a-minute to watch the spot and I'll tell you why he dislikes it so much.

[Feed and email readers, click to the blog for the embedded video - or you can watch on YouTube.]

So what's wrong with this spot?  Even if you grant AT&T some poetic license (wi-fi access on a remote desert island?  ummm... that's hyperbole right?), the entire 'Internet can't hide' premise is patently ridiculous.  As Jaffe likes to point out, his AT&T wi-fi card has trouble 'finding' the Internet in even the most populous metropolitan area in the United States.  I have the very same LaptopConnect card shown in the commercial and, to date, I've never been able to connect to the AT&T network at all.  Even AT&T customer service can't explain why.

In fact, I suspect that any AT&T wireless customer knows that the telecom giant's network coverage is spotty at best.

So what do you get when you combine a less than stellar real world experience with bold TV-land claims?  You get a disconnect (a proverbial dropped call) of epic proportions.  You get a commercial that is less funny than it is patently ridiculous.  You get an advertising premise (and brand promise) that is nothing short of incredible.

Incredible, as in not credible.

I'm kinda picking on AT&T here, but the truth is that there is no shortage of instances when actual product experience simply cannot live up to the promises made in advertising.  And while this might ultimately support an argument that companies need to invest time, energy and resources into improving the quality of the products they offer, it also makes me wonder what (at a time when consumers seem to prize corporate authenticity and transparency more than ever before) companies think they have to gain by making incredible claims?

A lift in near term sales?  Maybe -- but surely they feel the pain in post-sale customer service woes.

So why be incredible?  Why not just be credible. 

"Our service is OK but we're trying to get better," may not sell a lot of wi-fi cards but wouldn't it make both customers and prospects feel just a little bit better about a company that told the plain and simple truth?  And might better brand perception today pay off in the form of new sales and customer retention over the long haul?

Or maybe fooling some of the people for the time being is enough.  What do you think?  And what are some of your 'favorite' examples of brands setting unrealistic expectations or making incredible claims that don't jive with their customers' actual experiences?