This was the first Verizon phone launch that originated on social. The idea took full advantage of how quickly weirdness spreads on social media. On April 1, 2019, Verizon announced in a social video that we were bringing back the “Brick” phone. The internet took the bait and when conversation was peaking, we revealed that it was an April Fools’ joke to promote the launch of the first-ever 5G device. The social success converted into sales success and the device sold out on our website shortly after launch.

The Brief: Promote the 5G Moto Mod, the first way to connect to 5G on Verizon—or anywhere else on Earth. It became available for purchase on April 1. Auspicious timing.

Situation: Nearly every brand with a social media presence tries to one-up each other on April Fools’ Day. Although Verizon doesn’t normally participate, we knew that we couldn’t just launch a straight advertising campaign. We’d get lost in the clutter.

Objectives: Generate excitement and engagement for the 5G Moto Mod.

An April Fools’ joke 36 years in the making.

The first mobile call ever was placed in 1983 on Verizon’s network using a Motorola phone. Conveniently, the 5G-enabled Moto Mod is also from Motorola. This juxtaposition of the past and future presented the perfect opportunity to show a more playful side of the brand.

We knew what we had to do: bring the original Motorola phone—the Brick—back.

We created a social video announcing the Brick’s return and pushed it on Facebook, Instagram Stories, and Twitter. When people clicked through to buy it, we let them in on the joke and offered the 5G Moto Mod instead.

Nostalgia was making a comeback.

Our social audience is mostly under 30, which means they weren't even alive when the first cell phone came out. Lucky for us, retro tech was having a moment, and we wanted to capitalize on it.

Vinyl sales are higher today than in the 1980s. Redditors get into heated discussions about the mechanical keyboard that makes the best sound. Polaroid film is ubiquitous again.

With all the hype around 5G, what better way to position Verizon’s legacy of leadership than to go back to the OG, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X commercial portable cellular phone (a.k.a. the Brick)?

We didn’t just need to bring back the Brick. We needed to bring back the culture that spawned it. We used one of the most iconic symbols of the 80s to springboard the launch of 5G, the defining technology of this decade.

The execution was a typical Verizon promo post selling the latest and greatest device, except the latest and greatest was the original DynaTAC “Brick,” the OG mobile phone. Messaging included a healthy dose of self-awareness—poking fun at hyperbolic category language, calling out cutting-edge features like “advanced numeric display,” and “rubber antenna (included).”

We didn’t expect people would actually want the Brick. But we quickly found out how real nostalgia was for this device. We sourced real Brick phones overnight from all over the country to satisfy the huge response and keep the joke going.

All content was posted organically with no paid support.

It worked! We were able to earn over half a million organic impressions, beating our benchmark by 371%. Engagement rate outperformed expectations by +58%. It was one of Verizon’s most shared and loved posts ever.

What we didn’t expect was that people would actually want the phone. Because of popular demand we sourced functional Brick phones and sent them to customers who wanted them most.

Finally, the original phone was back on the original network. No joke.