Style Guide for Verizon’s “Test Man”

You can’t willy nilly put together one of the most annoying company mascots in advertising today. No, that takes skill, determination, research, customer research, customer studies, focus groups. Wait unless your Verizon, then all it takes is a style guide. The Style guide for the “Test Man” is humourous and sad at the same time. Come to think of it “Test Man” sounds so beta, maybe even alpha, as if the good ol’ V would replace us users if the “Test Man” pans out!

The consumerist has the whole style guide but I have hand picked some of my favorites.

• He line should always be used in its entirety. No partial line and no use of “Can you hear me now?” without “Good!” to follow.
  • Well of course he won’t say bad but can’t we throw in a Great! now and then?
• “Can you hear me now? Good!” can only be used to represent Test Man and his testing of our Network. It cannot be associated with any other activity.
  • Why am I envisioning the “Test Man” re-enacting Lumberg’s sex scene from Office Space?
• Locations and situations should be varied when possible, including interior and exterior scenes. He should not appear in any location where you have not confirmed coverage. A location that is remote in nature (i.e. a desert) needs to be approved by HQ legal council before use. Also, Test Man should appear in geography that doesn’t necessarily represents your Area in order to give further credibility to the fact that he tests our network Nationwide.
  • God forbid you show him in a house or office, you know a location Verizon’s CEO thinks cell coverage is un-important!
• “Test Man” cannot appear in any activity where he is not testing the network (i.e. sitting in a hot tub)
  • How’s “Test Man” supposed to get any ladies? “I got the biggest network” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Finally I thoroughly enjoyed the “Test Man” descriptors below.

Test man is:

25-35 years old
Entertaining
The embodiment of Verizon Wireless employees
Relentless in his mission
Friendly
Every day guy
A bit quirky
A little obsessive and compulsive
Likeable character
Appealing to all ethnicities

Test Man is not:

Annoying
Goofy
Easily distracted
Aloof
Stupid
Too “pretty”

Well Verizon, you are quirky and relentless, but it seems you are also annoying, aloof, stupid and too focused on being “pretty”.

Photo: Jeff Veen