14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier AT&T was said to have signed a five-year exclusivity agreement with Apple for the distribution of the iPhone in the United States, yet rumors on a possible early ending of that deal emerged again into the wild. Verizon Wireless, the operator eying Apple's device for quite some time, has reportedly hired ads firm Landor & Associates for the building of an advertising campaign for the next-generation iPhone.
Rumor has it that Verizon is set to make the iconic device available on its airwaves by end of summer, and that it is now working hard on that ad campaign for iPhone HD's launch. Brad Scott is said to be the leader of the Verizon team in charge with the release, and it seems that Landor & Associates won't be the only firm that will take care of the marketing of the iPhone at Big Red, as TBWA, Apple’s current iPhone agency, is expected to have the TV advertisements under its command.
The news on Verizon preparing an ad campaign for the iPhone emerged on crunchgear, and has been somehow confirmed by AppleInsider, which cites another source saying that a Verizon Wireless marketing executive is part of the effort too. However, the news site says that the rumor seems somehow unbelievable, as there are many inconsistencies in what the source said.
Rumors on a possible launch of the iPhone on Verizon's airwaves have been around for a long time, but they all proved false in the end. The new suppositions emerged only a couple of days after AT&T has been confirmed to have signed a five-year exclusivity agreement with Apple back in 2007, and should be taken with a big grain of salt.
Moreover, recent reports showed that AT&T was getting ready for the launch of the new iPhone, and that it changed upgrade eligibility date for some of its existing iPhone users, enabling them to get the device as soon as it is made available on its airwaves. With June expected to bring the fourth iPhone to shelves, it shouldn't be too long before official details emerge, so stay tuned for more on the matter.