Verizon apes classic commercials, keeps heat on AT&T, embraces 'Big Red' nickname

For chronic TV viewers, Verizon's high-octane AT&T bashing got tired pretty fast -- as did seeing Luke Wilson shill for the latter every few minutes -- but we've got to admit, the latest gag here is well-played. Verizon's reaching back through the annals of commercial history and redoing a couple famous ones with a my-3G-map-is-better-than-yours twist, and so far they've hit up DeBeers' classic "shadows" campaign (it doesn't end well for the gentleman with the AT&T phone here, of course) and Wrigley's old Big Red series with the catchy theme song the older folks in the crowd will undoubtedly remember. We wondered how long it'd take for Verizon to break down at admit that it shares a nickname with a cinnamon-flavored chewing gum, and now we've got our answer. Follow the break to check out both spots.