These days, the most evil plan Dr. Evil could dream up isn’t a laser on the moon. It’s a phone plan with hidden activation fees, upgrade charges and rewards nobody really wants.Verizon rolled out an effort to push cellphone simplicity on June 16 with two spots targeting two audiences. For the general market, Mike Myers returns as Dr. Evil in a spot that original Austin Powers filmmaker Jay Roach directed, starring alongside original cast members Rob Lowe, Seth Green and Mindy Sterling. In it, Dr. Evil debuts a carrier that relies on confusing plans, hidden administrative fees and unwanted perks, only for his son, Scott, to point out that none of it actually qualifies as evil. It’s simply how the category already operates.For the U.S. Latino market, Verizon reunited the cast of Yo soy Betty, la fea. Ana María Orozco, Jorge Enrique Abello and Lorna Cepeda star in a similarly dynamic spot, which Sergio Granados directed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the telenovela’s finale — an event the brand says drew seven of every 10 U.S. Latinos — and the renewal of its current series.The campaign opens against the first week of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a media buy spanning Fox, Telemundo, Disney and Paramount, streaming on Netflix, YouTube and Roku, plus audio, cinema and out-of-home in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Seattle. While Verizon handled the Dr. Evil creative in-house, The Community led the Betty campaign. Ricardo Aspiazu, SVP of creative and brand design at Verizon, framed the Betty collaboration as a chance to tap “cultural royalty.” Originally airing from 1999 to 2001, Yo soy Betty, la fea became a global phenomenon that reached more than 180 countries, expanded into some 25 languages and spawned adaptations in roughly 28 territories, from ABC’s Ugly Betty to versions in India, China and the Philippines.“It holds the Guinness World Record as the most successful telenovela in history, and with a new season launching after 25 years, the anticipation across generations is electric,” Aspiazu said. “The creative execution brought this iconic cast back together because their rich, distinct personalities are the perfect foil to expose just how absurdly complicated the phone industry has become.”Both Austin Powers and Yo soy Betty, la fea hold special places in the hearts of millennials who grew up with these stories. Yet, Aspiazu assures Campaign that tapping these properties is part of a wider-reaching strategy. “While these characters certainly have deep roots with millennials, the strategy actually operates on a multi-generational scale,” he said, pointing to Dr. Evil’s continued life in memes and catchphrases. “Our choices weren’t about tracking decades; they were about tracking relevance.” The creative is the front end of a broader product overhaul. Verizon is introducing what it calls an industry-first loyalty program open to all postpaid customers on any plan, eliminating activation and upgrade fees — up to $40 per device — for those who opt in. It also launched Verizon Dollars, returning 3% monthly for customers to spend on devices or, starting in July, brands including Sephora, Hilton and Starbucks, and Verizon Shine, a sweepstakes dropping weekly experiences and daily freebies. The first Shine prize, available June 22, sends a winner to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final and a VIP event with David Beckham.