RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. is launching a new advertising campaign focused on the quality and capabilities of its network.
The new tagline for the carrier’s ads will be: “Sprint. Power Up.” The nation’s third-largest carrier is starting internal employee campaigns and new advertising “as part of a larger strategic move to bring together a positioning that empowers customers to do more,” the company said in a statement.
“We are holding lighting in a jar … with our evolved positioning, we’re opening that jar, putting the power of that lightning bolt in the hands of the customer and waking up the rest of the industry,” said Mark Schweitzer, Sprint Nextel’s chief marketing officer, in a company statement.
Ovum analyst Roger Entner noted that Sprint Nextel’s advertising message hasn’t been as focused as those of its biggest competitors, and that its “most powerful network” claims don’t necessarily send a clear message to consumers—unlike claims of reliability or value.
“One of the most important things for Sprint is to finally agree on one marketing message,” Entner said, adding that the carrier needs to “pick something, anything, and stick with it for awhile.”
Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has recently made a big push emphasizing the quality of its network, and Verizon Wireless has stuck by the “It’s the Network” message. T-Mobile USA Inc. continues to position itself as the value option among national carriers with its “Get More” advertising.
After reporting dismal second quarter results, Sprint Nextel recently tweaked its price plans, making overage more expensive and slightly changing the number of minutes included in its plans in an effort to push customers toward higher-value monthly plans. The move brought Sprint’s Fair & Flexible plans in line with offerings by Verizon Wireless and Cingular; however, Sprint begins its off-peak calling at 7 p.m., versus the other two carriers’ start-time of 9 p.m.
