Great glutes never killed anybody\u2026Except, perhaps, in Verizon\u2019s latest ad campaign.<\/p>\n
The spot, a four-and-a-half minute short film directed by filmmaker Nia DaCosta, has all the hallmarks of a horror story: low lighting, a house in the woods, jump scares, knives, and ominous phone calls to\u2014gasp<\/em>\u2014a landline.<\/p>\n The film, titled \u201cLook Behind You,\u201d also features Connor Storrie, whose performance\u2014and glutes\u2014in the HBO drama Heated Rivalry <\/em>helped him rise to superstardom.<\/p>\n The project is a first in terms of brand film work for both Storrie and DaCosta, who\u2019s known for her work directing movies including The Marvels<\/em> and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple<\/em>. For Verizon, the campaign was designed to achieve something many brands strive for: mass reach by means of \u201cliving culture and conversation,\u201d leveraging arguably one of the most talked-about assets in culture this year, CMO Leslie Berland told Marketing Brew.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a bringing together of what we all know about Connor and all the things that he\u2019s famous for, and the Verizon network,\u201d Berland said. \u201cThere was a real spark of excitement around this idea of, \u2018What if we bring together this famous butt with the\u2026Verizon 5G network and create really fun, interesting, compelling storytelling around that?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The short film follows Storrie as he arrives at a cabin in the woods and tries to settle in for a stay, only to be repeatedly and spookily interrupted by blaring music, alarms, and unexpected phone calls. Spoiler alert (if such a thing can be said for an ad): He\u2019s triggered them all by leaving his phone in his back pocket.<\/p>\n The ad\u2019s conclusion, complete with harrowing horror-movie sound effects? \u201cThe best butt. The best network. There\u2019s no escape.\u201d<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\n