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August 12, 2015

T-Mobile Sprints Ahead, But Why?

Sprint lost some ground to T-Mobile recently and is now ranked Number 4. They are both making a dent in the unlimited vs. usage based pricing, but the buzz is around T-Mobile’s plans.

I think both are good deals, but a careful look at the plans shows I think Sprint has the better offer. What gives? I think the answer is the audience that the ads are targeted at, and the messaging.

First let’s talk T-Mobile. The T-Mobile ad moves quickly, says “You save money!” runs around a lot, and does little else.

For an old man like me it’s hard to follow, but for somebody young it’s just what they want to hear.

Now let’s go with the Sprint ad.

It feels like its talking to me, (that alone is a bad sign). The ad spends more time saying AT&T and Verizon’s brand name than its own. It then promised to slash your bill in half, and shows a family bundle.

The obvious question is, what did it accomplish on speaking to Sprint’s value?

The reality check is that Sprint has more spectrum then these competitors yet it reached out on price.

It could say we have more than double the spectrum, instead of saying half the cost.

The other obvious dilemma is the parade of disgruntled users. From that standpoint it’s good they don’t mention Sprint that much.

However the real issue is that value statement is targeted to Dad paying the bill, rather than the customer looking for service.

I think both carriers have great stories to tell, but the ad / ad war clearly goes to T-Mobile.

If I were Sprint, I would pull my ads and get an upbeat story going fast.  My pitch would be that I have the spectrum to manage your video appetite and show people watching, not talking.

If I were T-Mobile I would play the Voice over Wi-Fi card harder.





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