Verizon, Formerly Menace Mobile

Verizon has sprung for a new ad campaign set in the Austin Powers world, with four stars from the cast — Mike Myers, of course, as Dr. Evil; Rob Lowe as Number Two (Robert Wagner is alive but is 96); Seth Green as Evil’s son Scott, and Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina — and director Jay Roach. The premise of the two-minute spot is that Dr. Evil is proposing “Menace Mobile”, a wireless carrier with confusing pricing and plans. Scott pooh-poohs the idea on the grounds that “This isn’t evil. This is just typical phone company stuff.” Then, after some back-and-forth, comes this exchange: Scott: Diabolical phone companies are why we’re all switching to Verizon. Dr. Evil: I thought Verizon was just like the rest of the wireless organizations. Scott: Well, they were, but not anymore. They just got rid of activation and upgrade fees. They’re changing everything. I don’t think the commercial is particularly funny, alas, but I do find it extraordinary, because of the exchange quoted above. “Well, they were, but not anymore” is one the most extraordinary lines I’ve heard in a commercial. They’re just flat out admitting that, until recently, they ran their business like a scheme from Dr. Evil. I’ve been on Verizon for a long time. It’s expensive, but so was AT&T, and I’ve always felt like I got better service and better coverage from Verizon (which is why I switched in the first place). But just last year I did the wrong thing when I bought my iPhone 17 Pro.