Cellular phone store verizon

Byline: LARRY RIGGS

Verizon has started a direct response advertising campaign in the New York and Boston markets promoting the firm's "Veriations All" package.

The campaign, which promotes all of the company's products and services at a discount and on one bill, includes 4 million direct mail packages as well as bill inserts, television and radio spots, print advertisements, and in-store media.

The objective is to get Verizon customers who only subscribe to some of the firm's services to sign up for all of them, said Jill Wagner, Verizon's vice president for consumer markets.

Included under this plan are local, toll, long-distance and wireless phone services, and high-speed digital subscriber line Internet access.

The mail packages were slated to go out to Verizon customers last month, according to Nancy Greby, executive vice president at DraftWorldwide New York, Verizon's agency.

An additional 4 million bill inserts plugging the service also were scheduled for mailing.

Verizon kicked off direct response television and radio efforts in cities across New York and Massachusetts, Wagner noted.

The company will run three separate commercials: two 60-second DRTV spots with a toll-free 800 number and Web address (www.verizon.com), and a 30-second general spot.

The DRTV portion of the campaign will roll out to New Jersey and Pennsylvania this month.

DRTV ads are expected to be broadcast in Maryland and Virginia early next year, once Verizon gets approval to market long-distance phone services in those states, Wagner said.