OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Sprint (NYSE: S) has released a series of ads that position the company as the industry leader in value, network superiority, customer service and wireless user experience. The ads, which began running on Nov. 23, challenge Verizon and AT&T head-on and issue a call for wireless customers to “Join the Now Network.”
“Consumers are looking for a company that provides a tangible value in family plans, a full range of handsets and an outstanding customer experience,” said Bill Morgan, senior vice president of Corporate Marketing for Sprint. “We have all of those, plus the superiority of America’s largest, most dependable 3G network. Sprint’s Now Network means our customers get what they want when they want it.”
Head-to-head savings demonstrated:
– The new ads will be integrated into the current national advertising campaign and will include print, television, online and radio to help tell Sprint’s story. Unique comparison charts will demonstrate how families can save at least $240 and up to $1,000 annually based on comparable rate and service plans offered by Verizon and AT&T.
– With families pressed for cash every month, a $480 savings during the course of two years represents a car payment, a needed appliance, a month’s worth of groceries or a deposit into a child’s college fund. In these times, the Now Network is not just fast and full of wireless data possibilities; it’s also sensitive to the finances of today’s family.
– With the Sprint Everything plan, just $99.99 buys a month’s worth of unlimited talk, Web browsing, email, text, video messaging, picture sharing, GPS, push-to-talk, Sprint TV, Music and exclusive NFL and NASCAR applications.
“Our ads highlight ‘Now’ by showing how we deliver to consumers what they want, when they want it,” continued Morgan, “and with a full-range of handsets and the most affordable, full-service family and data plans available today — all of which provide a solution that financially-savvy consumers really appreciate.”
Simply Everything offers savings for unlimited data — more than $480 annual savings vs. AT&T and Verizon on an individual plan
Earlier this year, Sprint revolutionized unlimited pricing in the wireless industry by moving beyond its competitors to deliver more features for a flat rate of $99.99. Sprint’s Simply Everything plan provides unlimited nationwide calling, texting, email, Web browsing, GPS Navigation and much more — all for only $99.99. Comparable yearly messaging and data plans on Verizon and AT&T cost the consumer an additional $480 and $540, respectively.
A great example of the value offered by Sprint is the cost savings available with the Samsung Instinct vs. the iPhone. The Instinct is $70 less than the iPhone after a mail-in rebate, but that is only the start of the savings. When comparing similar rate plans for both phones, customers who purchase an iPhone will pay approximately $1,200 more for similar services during their two-year contract than customers who purchase an Instinct. Sprint’s plans with unlimited data begin at less than $70 per month.
America’s largest, most dependable 3G network
In addition to the value message, the new advertising will highlight the fact that Sprint has America’s largest (based on number of square miles — including roaming, Sprint has four times the coverage of AT&T’s current 3G network) and most dependable 3G network. The dependability statistic is backed up by independent, third-party drive-test data on connection success and session reliability for the top 50 most populous U.S. markets from March to September of this year.
Device lineup second to none
Sprint’s advertising will continue to promote the company’s holiday handset line-up, six of which were highlighted by Forbes.com in its Top 10 best phones for holiday gift-giving. Led by the Samsung Instinct, named by CNET as “Best In Show” at CTIA’s spring show, Sprint also offers the Samsung Rant — named by LAPTOP Magazine as best cell phone at CTIA’s fall show. The Rant is available for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and eligible upgrade or new line activation with a two-year agreement.
Sprint One Click — a user-friendly interface for consumer devices
Sprint One Click is a highly interactive user interface design that gives customers the ability to easily access the features they use most on their non-PDA phone. Offered exclusively by Sprint, it provides a widget-based stand-by screen and the ability to easily access the most-used features on the customer’s wireless phone. Sprint One Click is available on four new phones: LG Lotus, Samsung Highnote, Samsung Rant and Samsung Eclipse.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 51 million customers at the end of the third quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com
