Verizon bolsters wireless, home internet plans, adds streaming video deals and drops new logo

With a slew of new subscriber options and a revamped brand strategy, Verizon wants customers to know, "We hear you now."

The telecom giant kicks off a new advertising campaign Wednesday that harkens back to the "Can You Hear Me Now?" commercials. The ad starts with an appearance by the iconic Verizon technician, who originally was portrayed by an actor but is now a real Verizon engineer named Mike Morgan.

The action then expands into other ways the company connects customers, including smartphone messaging and video connections, home broadband, online gaming and electronic payments.

"We are a telco company but, truly, we are a life company," Leslie Berland, Verizon's chief marketing officer, told USA TODAY. "Whether you are at home … (or) on the road, whether you are at work, whether you are traveling … in times of amazingness or times of crisis, Verizon is there."

Verizon rolling out streaming deals with campaign

The new ad will be seen on broadcast and streaming TV, as well as on social media and in theaters.

With the new ad, Verizon "pushed ourselves (to) bring that feeling and that experience and storytelling to life in a totally different way," Berland said.

In conjunction with the brand refresh campaign come newly updated promotions, also available Wednesday. They include selected discounted streaming video deals from Disney+, and guaranteed smartphone trade-ins for devices that may be cracked and inoperable.

Verizon MyHome goal: Simplify home internet

Verizon hopes to make it easier for customers to get the desired home internet and entertainment options with its new MyHome internet plans starting at $35 monthly with auto pay and select mobile coverage (no hidden fees or equipment charges).

When you choose a plan, the price won't change for up to four years (Verizon Forward plans for low-income customers start at $20 monthly.)

Customers can now add several streaming services, including the Disney Bundle (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+), Netflix and Max (with ads), YouTube Premium and Walmart+ (which also gets you Paramount+ Essentials streaming) for $10 monthly each – a discounted rate compared to subscribing directly. Apple One and Apple Music Family subscription deals are expected to be added later this summer.

"The whole internet and entertainment market is very, very complicated today," Verizon Consumer CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath told USA TODAY. "So we've made it easy for a household to consume entertainment and get the best internet. … MyHome is aimed at solving exactly those pain points. It's a single place, all services, and you can drop and take (them when you want)."

Other optional perks include live TV from Fios TV (300+ channels) or YouTube TV (100+ channels), starting at $109 or $72.99 monthly, respectively; cloud storage, and Home Device Advisor tech support.

Verizon's wireless 5G and LTE plans reach 57 million U.S. homes and Fios fiber reaches 15 million, the company says.

Verizon wireless phone trade-in deal; NFL and Copa America giveaways

Those who have Verizon's wireless myPlan Unlimited plans will be able to trade in any smartphone, regardless of the condition, toward a new device (for a value of up to $830).

"The whole thesis of that is, accidents happen, your phone gets injured and your phone is worth nothing," Sampath said. "Don't worry about it, give it to us, we'll give you full guarantee on it. It goes back to listening to customers."

Verizon's new premium access program will give home and mobile customers access to ticket presales for concerts, including Jelly Roll's upcoming tour. Also upcoming: free tickets to Copa America matches and every NFL game in the upcoming season. Other giveaways and events include passes to red-carpet movie premieres.

Looking for reliable streaming options?Check out USA TODAY Home Internet for broadband service plans in your area.

Verizon drops check in its new logo

Another aspect of Verizon's rebranding is an updated logo dropping the current red checkmark – sometimes seen as a small V checkmark, too – for a red V with a yellow glow, used solo and in the name "Verizon."

The new logo and ads will play on social media and digital platforms, as well as on TV systems.

The checkmark "was launched a number of years ago, very intentionally, to deliver that message of reliability. It served that purpose," Berland said.

But the company wanted to create something "that is uniquely us … that had the energy and the openness and the vibrancy that reflects everything we do every day," she said.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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