• by Todd Wasserman , November 21, 2022

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and what would the holidays be without star-studded ads for wireless services?

This Verizon ad, via McCann-Erickson, features Paul Giamatti as Scrooge, interacting with “Saturday Night Live”’s Cecily Strong. In the beginning of the ad, Giamatti/Scrooge is complaining about his reception. “I can barely get reception outside the old town center,” he says.

Strong then challenges him. “You need a better network,” she says. “Tis the season to switch to Verizon.”

Strong then lays out the plan: Users get a free 5G phone when they switch plus a tablet, smartwatch or earbuds. The ad comes a year after Peloton ran an ad featuring Brett Gelman of “Stranger Things” as Scrooge who got a Peloton for Christmas.