Verizon
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Verizon is heading back to the Super Bowl with a four-day activation in Las Vegas that aims to bring fans closer to their favorite athletes, entertainers and action on the field. Officially dubbed “Verizon Live at Super Bowl LVIII,” the activation will see the brand take over Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club inside The LINQ Promenade, as they host events with Netflix, Max and Apple Music. Verizon will also return to the Super Bowl with in-game ads, airing on both CBS and Univision.
The programming begins on Thursday, Feb. 8, with the “Netflix Presents: @NetflixGeeked Kickoff,” which will bring together producers, creators, and talent, from some of Netflix’s upcoming releases, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, 3 Body Problem, and Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver.
Friday’s event gives fans a behind the scenes look at the Max series, Hacks, with star Hannah Einbinder and co-creator and actor Paul W. Downs in attendance to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the making of season three, premiering later this spring.
And Saturday’s event unites the worlds of sports and music, as Verizon presents “Run the Playlist Live.” A live take on Apple Music’s popular playlist series curated by NFL stars and teams, the event will be hosted by YouTube star, Deestroying, with appearances from NFL legends Sauce Gardner and Ed Reed. Additional players are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Anderson.Paak will also be on hand to help the panelists and audience create a live Super Bowl LVIII playlist, and attendees will be treated to a performance from Tobe Nwigwe, the Grammy-nominated rapper and singer who most recently appeared with Justin Timberlake on Saturday Night Live.
Verizon executives say the Super Bowl partnership is just another way the company is promoting its theme of tech and cultural “connectivity.”
“It’s really a cultural moment,” says Kristin McHugh, SVP and Chief Brand Officer at Verizon. “It’s about sports and entertainment, it’s music, and it’s really bringing people together. And at Verizon, we sit at the intersection of all of those things, and as a brand whose purpose is to connect people, Super Bowl gives us a great opportunity to connect fans to the things that they love.”
The Super Bowl also gives Verizon a chance to tout its 5G network, with McHugh teasing a takeover of the Sphere to “transform the Vegas skyline” (the Sphere is where U2 is currently holding its residency). “We’ll put our 5G ultra-wide band network front and center as fans are streaming, calling, texting and uploading all week long,” McHugh says.
Verizon’s network will also play a major role in the big game itself: as the Official 5G Partner of the NFL, Verizon provides all network communication for the Verizon NFL Media Center (including Radio Row), as well as all coach-to-coach communications on the field during the game.
Verizon execs say it’s an opportunity to validate the company’s technology on one of the biggest stages in the world. “Our coach-to-coach communication is powered by a private network that ensures that all the communication from up in the stands down to the field between coaches is reliable,” explains Nick Kelly, Verizon’s VP of Sponsorships and Partnerships. “When you’ve got 70,000 or 80,000 people in the stadium, you want to make sure that there is no chance that you’re gonna miss that next play.”
Verizon says planning for their Super Bowl activation began last August, with teams working to identify the partners they wanted to work with, along with the types of events fans would respond to. “Our pivot and our focus for the last couple of months has been the ability to bundle together your favorite things,” Kelly offers, alluding to both Verizon’s Super Bowl programming, and the company’s current smartphone plans, which offer customers Netflix and Max together for just $10 a month, or Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, along with Netflix and Max for just $20 per month.
While this year’s lineup will see Verizon partnering with Netflix, Max and Apple Music, Kelly confirms the company has had discussions with other brands, “who we are considering for future opportunities.”
Still, don’t expect Verizon to get into scripted programming. “There is no current plan for us to go down the content creation route, especially in terms of highly-produced movies and series,” Kelly says.
As for the Chiefs vs. 49ers, both Kelly and McHugh say they’re rooting for San Francisco, though they’re more impartial when it comes to the Verizon events. “We are just excited to have an incredible event and experience for our customers,” McHugh says, “both on the ground and nationally, and we can’t wait for it all to unfold.”