Verizon Plans Multiple Ad Plays Leading to Super Bowl Commercial

By Brian Steinberg

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – If Verizon gets its way, its Super Bowl advertising plans will include a 60-second commercial during the game – and a half-hour documentary that gives viewers even more of what will be discussed in the ad.

The telecommunications giant is often scrutinized for the communications resources it provides its customers, but its Super Bowl campaign will highlight service of a different kind. The campaign kicks off Sunday with a 60-second TV ad that airs during the NFL’s AFC and NFC championship game, and tells stories of 12 NFL stars – one coach and 11 players – who were rescued from car accident, natural disasters, house fires and more by first responders.  That group will be dubbed “The Team That Wouldn’t Be Here.”

The goal is to highlight the reliability of ’s service, says Diego Scotti, Verizon’s chief marketing officer and aligning with rescue workers can play a role in driving that message home. “We want to make sure that continues to our big point of differentiation,” he said.  Verizon burnished a similar theme in an ad it placed in Super Bowl LIII in 2018 – marking a return to the big event after a seven-year absence.

The company is in negotiations to air a half-hour documentary as part of the run-up to the Super Bowl, Scotti says. It is produced by Peter Berg and will premiere in Atlanta on Thursday, January 31.

The company will donate up to $1.5 million to First Responders Outreach a group that provides grants for emergency relief, training, and equipment for first responders, giving a dollar for each time someone shares a Verizon social post with a special hashtag on Facebook or Twitter or posts on Twitter with the hashtag.

“The moment the country is in right now, paying homage to others who serve or people who serve others is really an important message,” says Scotti.