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Verizon advertising partner rumored to be working on iPhone campaign

Rumors of a Verizon iPhone arriving this summer continue to surface, with CrunchGear claiming Landor Associates, which handles Verizon's branding, is working an advertising campaign regarding Apple's next-generation handset.

Author John Biggs simply cited a "tipster" in Tuesday's report, which said that Landor Associates are "hard at work" in preparation for the fourth-generation iPhone. The report said Brad Scott, senior director with Landor, is believed to be in charge of the team.

"Because Landor focuses a bit more on branding — they, for example, created the dual-B logo for Blackberry — don't expect TBWA, Apple's current iPhone agency, to get pushed out when it comes to TV advertisements," the report said.

Biggs went on to say that the rumor "very nearly confirms" a Verizon iPhone "at the end of the summer."

The rumor comes just a day after Engadget confirmed that AT&T and Apple originally agreed to a five-year exclusive deal for the iPhone, which would have extended through 2012. However, contracts can be amended, canceled or breached over time due to a variety of factors. Some believe that AT&T's contract for the iPhone was modified after it agreed to $30-per-month unlimited data plans for Apple's 3G iPad.

Last year, talk of a Verizon iPhone picked up when various reports alleged that Apple's deal with AT&T expires this summer. However, the Verizon-related rumors quickly cooled earlier this year, when Apple executives defended AT&T, and partnered with the wireless carrier once again for the iPad.

But the rumors picked up once again in late March, when The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is working on two new iPhones, including a CDMA-compatible model that could run on the Verizon network. The report alleged that the CDMA iPhones will not go into mass production until September, and when the hardware would go on sale was "unclear."

Apple is expected to introduce the new fourth-generation iPhone at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, to be held June 7 through June 11 at San Francisco's Moscone West. In years past, Apple has used the stage at WWDC to introduce its annual iPhone upgrade.