Corporate Social Media Strategy - Sprint Ahead
The corporate social media strategy embraced by Sprint is very attractive to me, (as was their Sprint flashlight ad), and puts them directly at odds with the branding of Cingular and AT&T as “The New AT&T”. It is discussed at Phone News, that the ads, “don’t tell you one good reason to go with Sprint over anyone else.” While this is true, I do not see that as a fundamental flaw in the advertising campaign. The new Waitless.org site is pretty cool. I disagree that it “establishes [no] more than a tenuous link to Sprint.” I encourage you to see where your time goes each day with their “calculate your time” tool, and then discover how to live a more productive lifestyle.
People switch networks for a number of reasons. The only reason I am going to switch from one carrier to another, is based on the network and the price. I am not one to switch my network to purchase a brand new iPhone, (available only on AT&T). This ad campaign has the potential to grab people on many different fronts. The fact that they haven’t indicated pricing points or innovative phones or other reasons to go with Sprint over another network does not mean it isn’t a good ad campaign. And it is, in fact, a great viral marketing campaign. Sending an e-card is generally boring, (though I quite like them at Sprint Sweets, minus the long load time). Showing people something, like how to take off a shirt quickly, chill soda, or parallel park, is engaging because it is humorous, entertaining, and creative, while sticking to their “sprint ahead” and lifehacking branding.
I applaud this corporate social media strategy and effort, and look forward to seeing them incorporate reasons to switch as the campaign continues to evolve.
