Verizon is replacing hype with substance for Droid, moving out of its buzz-building phase with a series of TV spots that show exactly why their app phone is better than iPhone. Ad Age is featuring three ads that Verizon will be running through the end of the year as part of their $100 million campaign.

For all the mystery and craft that went into the campaign s plant ads, the payoff spots come across as a new skin on Apple’s hands-on demo ads. Simply substitute robotic arms for human hands, and replace Apple’s clean white background with what looks like the inside of a Jawa transport from Star Wars. Ad Age talks to analysts and marketing consultants, a couple of whom point to the sci-fi, male-skewed positioning as risky if Verizon is indeed trying to make an iPhone killer out of Droid.

 

Watch the ads and read more about the campaign at Ad Age.