• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 18, 2008

Moviemaker Michael Bay pushes on a remote detonator to blow up a barbecue grill and swimming pool, becoming the first celebrity to kick off a series of several television spots for Verizon FiOS TV and FiOS Internet that the carrier plans to run this year.

In the 30-second FiOS Internet ad that began running Sunday in most major markets that Verizon serves, Bay--known for directing "Transformers," "Pearl Harbor," "Bad Boys" and "Armageddon"--spoofs his supercharged Hollywood persona by blowing up things throughout a contemporary home, demonstrating that Verizon "blows away" cable Internet service with upload and download speeds that are up to 25 times faster than cable.

The ads aims to convey that "when it comes to the Internet there's nothing more powerful than fiber optics straight to the home," says Geoff Walls, executive director of marketing at Verizon. "We wanted to talk about the incredible difference fiber provides when uploading information--about 25 times faster than cable, and a superior Internet experience."

Walls says Verizon wants consumers to understand that if they use anything other than FiOS Internet service they may get acceptable download speeds, but insufficient speeds on the upload.

Fiber optics provides Internet subscribers with Internet download speeds of up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps. The new campaign, "This is FiOS; This is Big," created by New York-based McCann Erickson, highlights both Internet and television services delivered over a fiber-optic network to consumer homes. The carrier estimates that it serves more than 1 million subscribers in 17 states today.

The next ad in the series will highlight Verizon FiOS TV, which offers sharp and clear picture quality because fiber optics allows the carrier to deliver an uncompressed signal straight to the home. While fiber optics delivers the majority of FiOS services from the curb to the home, the carrier relies on Internet protocol television to provide the interactive program guide and the video-on-demand features for the television service.

Future ads will describe multi-room DRV functions, widgets, high-definition content, and more. For example, fiber optics will help carriers offer better service as Verizon and rival AT&T begin to roll out purchasing options straight from the television with a click of the remote control.

Verizon began weaving the technology into advertisements, with the TV commercial showing a Verizon tech guy chatting with a child outside his home. The technician tells the boy that FiOS comes on three spectrums of light to communicate that the service offers something different than cable.

Longer versions of the TV ads will run online as a rollover banner ad that lets consumers view the video, as well as viral video sites, such as Google's YouTube. Walls says the story evolves with the campaign.