Verizon Wireless - Advertising

Advertising

In 2000, Verizon Wireless advertised they were, for a time, the largest cellular network in the country by showing people using cell phones and then gesturing with two fingers, much like the World War II-era "V for Victory" sign, to show that the person was on the Verizon ("V" or "iN") network. The slogan for Verizon Wireless at that time was "Join in." (Reminiscent of the slogan "Join in" was used in their marketing scheme up to this day. i.e., "iN-calling," "iN-messaging," and even the toll-free number "1-800-2-JOIN-IN.").

Later, Verizon adopted the slogan "We never stop working for you," with commercials (starting in 2002) depicting a Verizon employee roaming about in strange places continuously asking, "Can you hear me now? Good." (The "employee" is played by stage actor Paul Marcarelli) The "test man" represents Verizon test technicians.

In 2005, Verizon Wireless added an "army" of network engineers into their commercials in conjunction with the "test man" and introduced the slogan "It's the Network." to emphasize their network quality. (Verizon Wireless still uses the slogan "We never stop working for you." from time to time – especially on their website, toll-free number, and shopping bags.)

In 2008, Verizon Wireless sponsored Korean pop sensation Se7en further helping Se7en trademark his name in America and promote his U.S. debut single that was released in spring 2009.

Also in 2008, Verizon Wireless began a new television advertising campaign, with parodies of horror movies (including The Shining), with people trying to scare a main character with tales of a Dead Zone where calls cannot be made, who calmly responds that he or she has Verizon, and then the slogan appears, "Don't be afraid of Dead Zones."

In early 2009, Verizon Wireless officially dropped the "IN" campaign. Previously, calls between two Verizon Wireless subscribers were referred to as IN calling, but will now be referred to as Mobile-to-Mobile calling. With this change, Verizon Wireless also renamed their prepaid service Verizon Wireless Prepaid from iNPulse to Prepay.

In mid-2009, when the markets Verizon acquired from Alltel began to transition to the Verizon Wireless brand, web ads began to appear showing the test man with Chad, the Alltel salesman character that has appeared on Alltel commercials for the past five years.

Late in 2009, Verizon began ads that made use of the iPhone "There's an app for that" slogan, changing it to "There's a map for that" (see below). They began with maps showing large areas of the United States covered in red to represent Verizon's 3G service, with very limited areas in blue to show 3G service for AT&T, which at the time was required to use the full capabilities of the iPhone. The ads progressively got more aggressive, including one where the iPhone was placed on the Island of Misfit Toys.

In 2010 Verizon launched its latest advertising campaign creating the new tagline "Rule The Air." The campaign boasts Verizon's allegedly superior ability to "send a strong signal" and early advertisements heavily feature Verizon's range of Android powered smartphones.

In 2011, Paul Marcarelli reprised his role as the Verizon test man to promote the Verizon iPhone 4, slamming AT&T's network when he answers a phone call using the iPhone with, "Yes, I can hear you now."