Verizon Casts Chris Briney in Moody Retro Love Story—With a Twist at the End

The object of his affection may surprise you

Why so pouty, Chris Briney?

The Verizon Shine commercial below is a very slow burn. It opens as The Summer I Turned Pretty heartthrob bids farewell to his paramour and promises, “I’ll be waiting.”

Then he hits the long, lonely road in a vintage Ford Mustang convertible as Whitesnake’s campy-romantic “Is This Love” swells on the soundtrack.

Buckle up for nearly two minutes of retro-music-video-inspired highway cruising, punctuated by soulful stares, moody glances and frequent phone checks. Finally, Chris arrives at the shoreline and we learn what he’s been waiting for.

In the end, dude basks in some brand love, like every Hollywood hunk deserves.

And Chris lived happily ever after. Well, until the next Verizon gift card drop, at any rate.

Here, Ricardo Aspiazu, SVP of creative and brand design at Verizon—which developed the pitch in-house with director Mitch Ryan—takes the wheel, as it were, and explains the strategy.

What makes Chris a good fit for Verizon?

We want the audience to feel that aching, dramatic longing. Only to reveal the object of affection is actually our loyalty program. Chris has built a massive, devoted fanbase that knows him for his emotional intensity, swoon-worthy yearning and quiet brooding. By channeling his signature romantic longing into an obsession over our perks, Chris makes the audience realize that what Verizon is offering isn’t your typical loyalty program. It’s something undeniably worth wanting.

Verizon’s getting great mileage, as it were, from TV hunks. What’s up with that?

As a brand rooted in human connection, our goal is to bring people closer to what they love most. For a highly engaged, culture-obsessed social audience, that means creating content alongside the entertainment figures they are most passionate about. From our recent work with Love Island fan-favorite Trinity Tatum to breakout stars like Connor Storrie and Stephen Kalyn, we strive to tell our brand stories in the most entertaining and authentic ways possible, meeting our audience where their fandom lives.

Why that specific song?

We gravitated toward leaning into classic late-80s music video tropes. For us, making it feel like a long-lost MTV masterpiece was the sweet spot. “Is This Love” by Whitesnake struck the exact right tone. The spot centers on someone obsessively yearning for what they love, so we needed a song that matched that dramatic intensity. The track captures the exact level of yearning we were looking for and helps build up the tension needed for the humor to land.

The locations are evocative. Not the usual sun, surf and palm trees.

The drama had to feel genuine. We needed the locations and environment to feel just as real, so we avoided the typical coastal roads like the PCH in Malibu or Marin County that appear in every other commercial. Partnering with director Mitch Ryan and the production team at Cadence, we brought the shoot to the North Shore of Long Island, a stunning landscape rich with character. We leaned into the fall grey skies of coastal Long Island and were even lucky enough to capture an incredible sunrise.

Can you talk about the shoot, what went down during filming?

The craft was just as essential as the performance to deliver on the authenticity. We shot on 35mm film to achieve a rich texture, and our behind-the-scenes photographer Magda Wosinska captured a mix of film, digital, and Polaroid photography to bring depth and texture across all campaign assets. Chris is actually driving the convertible alongside a full camera rig and a handheld in the passenger seat. We shot in front of a real general store and firehouse. All these details give the film the realness and grit needed for the full vision to come to life.

Related: Citroën = Love. Cue the ’80s Music-Video Montage