Sprint-Nextel exec notes that wireless industry's weakness is low public trust
By Peter Svensson, Technology Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) --Six months after AT&T’s deal to buy T-Mobile USA collapsed, T-Mobile’s TV ads are going back on the attack against a favorite target: AT&T Inc.
Philipp Humm, the CEO of T-Mobile, showed off a new ad Tuesday featuring a hapless man on a motorcycle, cruising on a desert road as a woman on another motorcycle blows past him. The voiceover explains that the man represents an iPhone 4S on AT&T’s network, and the woman is T-Mobile’s 4G network.
The ad recalls other attack ads T-Mobile showed a year and a half ago. They likened the iPhone to a young man, carrying on his back a frumpy middle-aged man who represented AT&T’s data network. The message: AT&T’s network slows down the iPhone.
Those ads disappeared last spring when AT&T offered to buy T-Mobile for $39 billion. That deal collapsed in December after regulators opposed it on grounds that No. 2 carrier AT&T buying No. 4 T-Mobile would reduce competition.
Between the announcement of the deal and its collapse, T-Mobile was in limbo. That hurt the company’s brand, and it’s now looking at “relaunching” it, Humm told attendees at CTIA Wireless, the U.S. cellphone industry’s annual trade show, which kicked off Tuesday in New Orleans.
Ralph de la Vega, the head of AT&T’s wireless division, was on hand at the same event to give his opinion about the ads.
“It’s comparing a phone to a network,” de la Vega said. “Everyone gets that, right?”
The iPhone 4S can’t use AT&T latest wireless data network, which uses so-called “LTE” technology. Nor could it utilize the top speeds on T-Mobile’s network, even if it were available for T-Mobile subscribers.
“That’s why this industry has a bad rap, we take the truth and we stretch it,” de la Vega said.
Sprint Nextel Corp. CEO Dan Hesse, on the same panel discussion, chided both AT&T and T-Mobile for their advertising, saying some in the industry have “taken creative license around the use of the digit ‘4’.” Both AT&T and T-Mobile have networks that are considered “3G,” or “third-generation,” in industry jargon, but started advertising them as “4G” when they upgraded the speeds.
Hesse argued that the wireless industry’s “Achilles’ heel” is the low trust people put in it, and the confusion around the network branding doesn’t help.
T-Mobile subscribers could get a chance to test the claims of the motorcycle ad later this year, as T-Mobile rejiggers its network. That will, for the first time, make the iPhone compatible with T-Mobile’s “4G” network. Even if T-Mobile doesn’t sell the phone, used iPhones could be brought over from other carriers.
AICP Awards Tour To Conclude With Stops In Dallas and Chicago
The 2024 AICP Awards Tour concludes with stops in Dallas and Chicago this month as it wraps up its tour of cities across the U.S. The National Tour brought presentations, panels and screenings to marketers, advertising agencies, production and postproduction companies.
The AICP Awards will be in Dallas on Thursday, November 14, at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, followed by the Chicago event, set for Thursday, November 21, at The Old Post Office. Tickets are available now for both events here.
In Dallas, the program kicks off at 6:45 pm with a happy hour, followed by the screening and panel discussion at 7:30. The evening ends with a networking reception from 8:30 to 11:30.
Appearing in Dallas will be Abe Garcia, chief creative officer, Dieste; Julia Melle, director of brand and content, Southwest Airlines; and Isaac Pagán Muñoz, VP, executive creative director of PepsiCo Foods. The panel will review selected winners from the suite of the AICP Awards programs, offering insights into what made them rise to the top of their respective categories and share their viewpoints on key trends in the industry.
The Chicago stop starts at 6 pm with a happy hour, followed by the presentation and screening at 7 pm. A reception caps the event, starting at 8 pm and concluding at 11:30 pm.
The panel there will feature 2024 AICP Awards curators and winners from the marketer, agency, production and postproduction sectors who’ll highlight this year’s winners. The conversation will include a discussion about the winning work, including insights into what makes a project stand out, as well as industry trends and insights.
Panelists include Brian Billow, director, O Positive, AICP Show curator and... Read More