• by Les Luchter , August 4, 2023

“Attention Walmart shoppers, here’s some straight talk for you,” announces actor/comedian Jim Gaffigan in a commercial debuting Aug. 4.

The spot marks Straight Talk Wireless’ expansion into multiline family plans -- or, as Gaffigan puts it, using “your loved ones to save money.”

Straight Talk, a Verizon-owned prepaid mobile brand, is available only at Walmart stores or online.

The ad, created by FCB NY in :30 and :15 versions, is running on broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, Fox), cable networks (e.g, TNT, ESPN, TBS, USA), streaming services, online video platforms and other media. Media was bought by The Collective, a Publicis Media agency. (Zenith is Verizon’s media agency of record.)

Gaffigan's appearance marks the first time Straight Talk Wireless used a celebrity on-camera in its ads, although Ed O'Neill was the brand’s off-camera voice for several years.

“Jim's comedy and work ethic embodies who our customer is: observant, hard-working, a little bit skeptical of something that might seem too good to be true, and loves to talk about their family,” Cheryl Gresham, chief marketing officer, Verizon Value, said in a statement.

And the jokes come quickly in the new spot as Gaffigan roams the Walmart aisles interacting with customers.

“Are you ready to commit?,” he asks an astonished couple, who are then relieved when he finishes with, “to two lines to save cash?"

“Have you ever saved your parents anything?” he asks a girl shopping with her family.

“Congratulations on your future savings,” he says as he passes a pregnant woman.

The spot launches a week after Gaffigan’s latest standup special, his tenth, debuted on Prime Video.

In addition to Straight Talk, Verizon Value’s portfolio of prepaid brands include Total by Verizon, Visible, Tracfone, Simple Mobile, SafeLink, Walmart Family Mobile, and Verizon Prepaid.

Correction:This post was corrected to reflect the fact that The Collective is a Publicis Media agency and not an offshoot of Zenith, as was originally stated.