Dive Brief:

• Straight Talk Wireless, which is part of Verizon’s Value umbrella, launched its first live-action campaign in four years, according to a press release. The spot, featuring actor and comedian Jim Gaffigan, promotes the carrier’s new family plan.
• The spot, developed by FCB NY, depicts Gaffigan taking over a Walmart store to perform a stand-up concert. During the concert he shows the benefit of “using” loved ones to save on wireless.
• The campaign marks a shift away from the animated spots that have exemplified the brand’s recent marketing efforts and comes as marketers seek to entice deal-hungry shoppers amid recession concerns.

Dive Insight:

Straight Talk Wireless, a wireless carrier offering sold by Walmart, is turning to comedy and star power to capture the attention of thrifty consumers. A new spot features actor and comedian Jim Gaffigan taking over a Walmart to spread the word about the carrier’s new family plan. It is a departure from the bright green animated ads used by the company in recent years. The new spot is set to air across major networks and platforms.

The campaign also puts a celebrity face front and center, a strategy value wireless competitor Mint Mobile has found successful. Mint Mobile, which T-Mobile agreed to acquire earlier this year, has an ongoing relationship with actor Ryan Reynolds, who will retain a creative relationship with the brand after the deal with T-Moble is completed, which has helped raise awareness of the budget wireless company. Reynolds' Maximum Effort advertising agency has developed creative spots for the carrier, with Reynolds usually at the center.

Straight Talk’s employment of Gaffigan, who has a new comedy special on Amazon Prime Video, brings its strategy closer to that of Mint’s, with celebrity and savings being at the center of the message. It comes as Verizon struggles with retaining customers in a competitive market.

“Jim's comedy and work ethic embodies who our customer is: observant, hard-working, a little bit skeptical of something that might seem too good to be true, and loves to talk about their family,” said Cheryl Gresham, CMO of the Verizon Value division in a statement. “We immediately thought of Jim as the perfect partner to explain the value in our new plans and to do it in a really entertaining way.”