Before Verizon’s big reveal this week, signs were emerging that something was up. Posts showed up on social media touting “VER ZON,” leaving some of us to wonder what was up with the missing “I” in the name.
Was something bigger going on than meets the eye, er … “i”?
It was quickly evident that it was a stunt tied to its new myPlan offerings, which it announced on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Verizon launched a 30-second spot showing people in seemingly everyday situations – at the barber, on a bus, roller blading, rock climbing (?), on the soccer field – all talking about the virtues of the new myPlan. Their images are smack dab where the “I” in the name Verizon sits.
“It all starts at just $30 on the network you want because it’s your Verizon,” the ad states. It’s the first in a series of ads that will be introduced for myPlan over the coming months.
“myPlan puts the customer front and center, allowing them to mix and match perks to customize their phone plan exactly how they want. By replacing the ‘I’ with the customer, we’re doing just that, signifying that they are in charge of their plan with Verizon instead of us choosing for them,” a Verizon spokesperson told Fierce.
Of course, that prompted some interesting responses online, including one Twitter user who said maybe they should change their name to “verUzon.”
Make no mistake, Verizon’s not changing its name. This missing “I” is specifically for the myPlan campaign, the spokesperson said. (We had to ask.)
The commercial is airing nationally on TV and cable, digital online and social media. Verizon isn’t disclosing how much money it’s spending on the campaign.
But there’s more. Consumers across the country will be given the chance to be featured in the campaign by snapping a photo of themselves replacing the “I” in one of several life-size Verizon logos popping up in locations across the U.S., according to Verizon.
Here’s a list of locations where the logos can be found: Verizon headquarters in Basking Ridge, New Jersey; Verizon Hidden Ridge office in Irving, Texas; Hudson Yards, Manhattan, New York; Citi Field in Queens, New York; Millenium Park in Chicago; Lake Union Park in Seattle; Klyde Warren Park in Dallas; Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles; and Malcolm Memorial Park in St. Louis, Missouri.
And upon further inspection, it turns out the rock climber in the 30-second spot isn’t meant to represent an “everyday” kind of situation like the other actors in the spot seem to be doing. The fine print on the bottom of that section of the video warns: “Do not attempt without professional supervision. Climber at Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, CA. See verizon.com for coverage map.”
According to the website, 4G LTE and 5G Ultra Wideband are available at that park, so apparently, it's covered.