The telecommunications company formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE is launching a major effort Tuesday to get
out the word about its new name — Verizon
Communications.
The August campaign will include television, radio, print and Internet ads,
and a variety of outdoor advertising. The ads will run in 45 markets in the
United States, and was created by The
Lord Group, Burrell Communications,
Temerlin McClain and La Agencia de Orci & Asociados. Spending
for the campaign wasn’t disclosed.
“Our change to Verizon may well be the largest re-naming campaign ever
undertaken,” said Janet Keeler, Verizon senior vice president for marketing
services and brand management.
“The advertising’s first job is to build awareness with our customers that
the two companies they have done business with and trusted over many years
have merged into a new company named Verizon. The second job is to reassure
customers that even though we are changing the name of the company,
customers can continue to rely on Verizon to deliver great quality service,
as they did with Bell Atlantic and GTE.”
The print portion of the campaign features Verizon employees who explain the
company’s new name and promise to keep up the same standards of service.
Simultaneously, the company will begin changing the name and logo on monthly
bills, vehicles, buildings, marketing brochures, pay phones, and Web sites.
The effort is expected to take 12 to 18 months. James Earl Jones, who was
Bell Atlantic’s spokesperson, will continue to be the “voice” for the
company, greeting callers to Verizon’s national directory assistance
service.
The company has already been running ads and has made some of these changes
for its wireless division. The domestic wireless operation has been
operating under the Verizon name since April.
