Paul Marcarelli returns as Verizon’s Test Man in Grammys spot with Buzz Aldrin

A familiar face returned to Verizon advertising during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards telecast, as Paul Marcarelli—the carrier’s longtime “Can you hear me now?” Test Man character years ago—appeared with astronaut Buzz Aldrin in a spot about solving cellular dead zones with satellite backup. Marcarelli played the Test Man for more than a decade, until about 2011. In 2016, he popped up in Sprint commercials, using his Verizon fame as a way to tease the carrier on behalf of his new company. But apparently there are no hard feelings on Verizon’s part, now that they’ve brought him back. “It’s been 10 years since I last asked America ‘Can you hear me now?’,” Marcarelli said in a statement. “Back then dead zones were everywhere and it’s safe to say today they are only in the most remote places like the dark side of the moon. Verizon’s always been on a mission to give its customers the very best experience, anticipate their changing needs and drive innovation. Satellite is for sure the next frontier.” The minute-long spot, created by creative agency Gut and director Calmatic, features the 95-year-old Aldrin traveling to remote locales around the world—deserts, tundras, faraway mountains—and seeing if he can still text with the Test Man, who is eventually seen clinging to the side of a satellite in space. “Can you text me now?” Aldrin writes in his missives. “That’s my line,” Marcarelli muses to himself. More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Paul Marcarelli returns as Verizon’s Test Man in Grammys spot with Buzz Aldrin

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