I don't purchase newspapers but today I was given the option of getting one for free because we purchase more than a certain amount at a particular supermarket. so ended up with a copy of Saturdays Courier-Mail. 14/11/2020

other than it having a number of typos in the editorials. I found this double page Telstra ad.

as there is no requirement for advertisers to be truthful in ther advertisements I guess it's ok for them to say that they have Australia's most reliable Wi-Fi.

that gives you the impression that Telstra, in some way, is selling Wi-Fi.

unfortunately a lot of people are confused and think Wi-Fi is the internet.

considering the advertisement on the left-hand side then goes on to talk about why you should switch to Telstra it gives you the impression that Wi-Fi is the internet. the ad on the facing page even confuses things more

but Wi-Fi is not the internet

you can have Wi-Fi without the internet and you can have the internet without Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi is just a short distance wireless communication system which allows computing devices to communicate with one another up to a distance of about less than 100m. you do not have to use an internet provider, such as Telstra or anybody else, to be able to use Wi-Fi. all you need is 2 Wi-Fi sending and receiving devices. typically one of those devices is usually a combined router, modem and Wi-Fi devise. you do not have to buy such a device from Telstra or any other service provider. you can buy one from most computer stores.

this device can communicate with other computing devices, like laptops, tablets and phones you may have in your home without ever connecting to the internet. it's like an internal telephone system. you can use it to transfer information between devices. typically most people only use it transfer internet between devices.

considering even if you purchased your internet from Telstra and had a Telstra supplied Wi-Fi modem/router. it's not likely that you've purchased all your other computing devices or phones, from Telstra. so how can Telstra say, they have Australia's most reliable home Wi-Fi when parts of the Wi-Fi system aren't even supplied by them.

why have Telstra said you should switch to Australia's most reliable home Wi-Fi. why didn't they say switched to Australia's most reliable home internet. because that's what they were selling in the rest of ther ad.

well first that's because its most likely not the truth, and secondly because they're confusing Wi-Fi with Internet, it just confuses most potential purchasers. Telstra saying they're the most reliable, so they must be. without understanding what reliability is being talked about.

it's called product differentiation. even though you're selling the same thing as your competitors, you have to differentiate yourself in some way. whether it's a real difference or perceived difference doesn't matter. as long as you convince potential buyers that you have something's that different from your competitors and that yours is better than thers. even if that's not the truth.

a few pages later in the Courier-Mail was this ad:

perhaps what it sais in this ad is a real reason that Telstra are trying to confuse people.

from courier Mail Saturday November 14th 2020:

Phone plan loyalty fail “ONLY one in five Australians have switched mobile provid- ers in the past six months de- spite standing to save almost $100 a year on average. Research from Finder showed 78 per cent of Aussies had a mobile plan with the big three Telstra, Vodafone or Optus. But the data revealed 18 per cent of their customers believed they weren't getting good value for money comared with just 7 per cent who were with a smaller telco.

A Finder analysis found customers could save up to $90 a year with a smaller telco”

this value for money thing is a reason some people are willing to pay more, in this case about $100 a year, because they perceive they are getting something better than an alternative. some people think, perhaps, they are getting something more reliable.