Verizon's 'Can you hear me now' guy switches to Sprint
A still shot from a YouTube video of Sprint's newest commercial featuring Paul Marcarelli, who used to star in Verizon's "Can you hear me now?" ads. Credit: Sprint via YouTube
For nearly a decade, Paul Marcarelli was the public face of Verizon, pitching the company's wireless services through its ubiquitous "Can you hear me now?" ads.
After a five-year hiatus, Marcarelli is back. But this time he is making the case for Sprint.
In a new ad campaign released during the NBA Finals, Marcarelli says "I used to ask if you 'can hear me now' with Verizon. Not anymore. I'm with Sprint now, because guess what? It's 2016 and every network is great."
Marcarelli adds that Sprint's reliability is within 1 percent of Verizon's, and the service is less expensive.
A Verizon spokesman brushed off the new ad.
In an interview with CNN Money, Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon, said "Sprint is using our 2002 pitchman because their network is finally catching up to our 2002 network quality."
It's Your Business! This month's roundup including how to protect yourself from digital scams Join NewsdayTV as we recount the top business stories on LI that you need to know about.
It's Your Business! This month's roundup including how to protect yourself from digital scams Join NewsdayTV as we recount the top business stories on LI that you need to know about.
