Verizon

Verizon Wireless revenue up

Formed in 2000 by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, Verizon is a relative babe compared to most other brands in direct marketing.

While its name was created to combine the Latin word for certainty – veritas – and “horizon,” its direct marketing efforts are synonymous with aggressiveness.

Earlier this year, a federal appeals court reportedly denied the company's request to overturn a decision by the Federal Communications Commission regarding its marketing tactics. The decision affected Verizon's practice of calling former customers during a four-day period when they are transferring their services to a new provider and offering incentives to remain with Verizon. More recently, the company has employed events and an advertising blitz to promote the Droid, its new smartphone. Considered the largest marketing campaign that Verizon has ever conducted for the launch of a single device, the effort mocks Apple's popular iPhone device — available solely on competitor AT&T — and the availability of AT&T's 3G service.