There's an ad for that: Top advertising campaigns for the wireless industry
Earlier this year, Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) revived its ubiquitous "Can you hear me now" spokesman, Paul Marcarelli. He reprised his role as the Test Man in Verizon's advertisement for the iPhone, which Verizon began selling in February.
Marcarelli's Test Man anchored Verizon's marketing message since his first spot in 2002. However, in April, Marcarelli revealed to The Atlantic that Verizon informed him that the carrier would begin phasing him out of its ad campaigns. Verizon has refused to comment on what's in store for future campaigns, but the company is currently pushing its message through its "Rule the Air" series of advertisements.
Macracarelli's sudden departure after nine years as the face of Verizon isn't unusual--wireless carriers constantly change campaigns to fit the evolving market.
Ten years ago, carriers were fighting to recruit new customers and build a nascent market. Today, industry analyst Jeff Kagan argued, they are attempting to keep customers happy, getting people to switch carriers, and convincing them to spend more on wireless data.
"So in that world, the carriers had to decide how to reach the customer, how to get to that customer. It's a different world than five years ago," Kagan said.
Hence, a commercial such as Sprint Nextel's (NYSE:S) long-running Pin Drop silence for long distance might have been successful in boosting brand recognition and corporate image then, but would not fare as well in the current market.
In this new market, FierceWireless is taking a close look at the ad campaigns that are working--after all, wireless carriers spend billions of dollars every year in an attempt to push their respective marketing messages. What are some of the the past decade's most popular ads? Read on:
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