NEW YORK – February 4, 2018 – During its first in-game Super Bowl ad since 2011, Verizon and Justin Timberlake tonight took time to thank the nation’s first responders.

 

Immediately following his halftime performance, Timberlake voiced-over a 10-second “thank you” asking viewers to share their personal appreciation to first responders in their local communities and participate in a donation match to the American Red Cross at AllOurThanks.com (#AllOurThanks). Following was a 60-second spot, entitled ‘Answering the Call,’ that featured emotional phone call reunions between real people and the first responders who saved their lives. 

 

“Over the years, we’ve been inspired by stories from Verizon’s frontlines about the dedication of first responders during times of crisis,” said Andrew McKechnie, Chief Creative Officer for Verizon. “We’re proud to provide public safety, first responders and relief organizations with the network reliability and tools they need to do their jobs and aimed tonight to spread a message of hope, unity and thanks for the people who always take the call in times of need.”

 

McCann WorldGroup created the films and collaborated with R/GA to create the related digital content which appeared online and on the Verizon social channels. To bring the emotional reunions to life, Verizon partnered with Emmy-award winning director Amir Bar-Lev and researchers to scour news articles and footage spanning first responder rescues over the past 30 years. The team uncovered the stories, tracked down the survivors and first responders, and connected them for the unforgettable reunion calls.

 

Verizon has a long-standing history of commitment to first responders and relief organizations, including more than $20 million donated to disaster relief in 2017.