During my six years at T-Mobile, I was fortunate to ride the entire wave of “Un-carrier” branding that saw the company surge from barely fourth place in the industry, to eventually absorbing Sprint and surpassing AT&T. Below are a few of my favorite marketing milestones from the ride.
In early 2014, the “Break up With Your Carrier” campaign (codename: Magellan) became the first real salvo in what would be our ongoing pursuit of the grand dames of the industry. This was a golden era for me, as I was one of the only writers and had immense latitude on voice and tone. In retrospect, we were probably giving the customer too much copy to digest, but that was then…
All through 2015-2016, the “Break-up” theme continue to be woven through major campaigns, from “add-a-line” free-device promotions, to partnerships with Television in radio advertising–extolling the virtues of T-Mobile.
After 2016, the focus shifted to combating the somewhat-valid perception that T-Mobile’s network, and by extension, signal–sucked. This was accomplished in part with competitor comparisons highlighting T-Mobile’s strength in international coverage, as well as with geo-targeted ads showcasing urban-focused signal strength.
Caleb Long | Copy + Storytelling 