Sprint Launches Two New Marketing Campaigns

[1]April 06, 2009 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

Ads Showcase the Sprint Now Network^TM and Power of Real-Time Mobility; Value Messaging Continues as Consumers Are Told Not to Throw Away Money

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE [2])--In two new advertising campaigns, Sprint (NYSE:S) asks wireless users timely questions and provides the answers. For the Now Network^TM campaign they ask, how many people are updating their status on a social networking site during a business meeting from their mobile phone? How many people are responding to an e-mail on their mobile phone? Or how many accidentally hit "reply all?"

And for the value-focused campaign, Sprint wants to know, how will people react when a wheelbarrow full of quarters is shoveled into a fountain? Or a bag of dollar bills is dropped into a garbage can? Why would anyone throw away their money?

The Sprint Now Network^TM campaign illustrates the breadth and appeal of the Sprint Now Network, which spans wireless Internet access, social networking sites, e-mail, GPS and more. The value-focused string of ads continues to stress the value afforded to those customers who switch to Sprint from AT&T or Verizon.

The Now Network^TM: What's Happening Now?

On April 6, Sprint's advertising will offer TV viewers and Internet surfers a taste of how advanced technology can get you virtually anything you want in real time. Your mobile phone today does more than just make calls on the go. To cite a few examples, Sprint tells you that right now 6,000 people are researching restaurants from a cab and that 29 of them will leave their phones in the cab. And, 1,041,667 e-mails are now en route, and that seven percent of them contain the words "miracle banana diet." Visit us at www.sprint.com/nownetwork [3] for more details.

"The idea behind the campaign is to demonstrate all the things that happen on the Now Network in today's fast-paced world," said Bill Morgan, senior vice president of corporate marketing for Sprint. "Sprint's Now Network means that our customers can get what they want when they want - whether it's staying connected through a call, text or e-mail, surfing the web, using GPS, or working remotely and wirelessly."

The Sprint Now Network^TM is more than just a physical network - it features America's most dependable 3G network,^* the largest push-to-talk community, and it is the only national carrier to offer wireless 4G services and award-winning phones and devices, including the most-anticipated wireless product of the year - the Palm Pre.

Last April, Sprint also revolutionized data plans with an all-inclusive price plan, Simply Everything^® which eliminated the fear of overages. Customers know what their bill is, right now. And, Sprint's Ready Now in-store customer service shows customers how to get the most out of their wireless experience. Plus a great range of Now Network handsets is available, from an affordable 3G handset like the Rant to the upcoming Palm Pre.

The "What's Happening Now?" brand-focused ads will launch on television, online and select print nationwide. Consumers will also see it online with a micro-site, banner ads and several homepage takeovers on YouTube, Yahoo!, MSN, and AOL. The first homepage takeover launches April 29 with others to follow. Other innovative uses of media include placement on digital billboards in high traffic areas. These billboards will effectively make the Now Network come alive. The billboards will launch later in 2009.

Why Throw Your Money Away?

In another series of ads, Sprint continues to emphasize that individuals and families can save a great deal on their wireless bills if they switch to Sprint from AT&T or Verizon. The new chapter of ads, launched on April 3, plays on the idea of reality television, but with actors, and humorously chides people, "Don't throw away your money." The absurdity of tossing away one's money is demonstrated by mock situations in which onlookers witness money being disposed of in an exaggerated fashion. For example, one of the early ads shows a leaf blower vigorously blowing dollar bills in a neighborhood yard.

"In this economy, you can't throw money away," adds Morgan. "So check out what might happen if people are presented with seeing dollar bills literally being thrown away."

With Sprint's Everything Data Family plans, families can save $360 annually versus comparable AT&T and Verizon plans. For most Americans, $360 is a car payment, a week's worth of groceries, or a monthly savings for college. Sprint's Simply Everything plan saves customers more than $475 annually versus similar AT&T and Verizon plans.^**

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 more than 49 million customers at the end of the fourth 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 [4].

^* "Dependable" based on independent, third party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from June to November 2008. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network when 3G unavailable.

^** Comparisons based on publicly-available information as of 2/5/09 comparing base monthly rates, excluding taxes, surcharges and fees.(check with Angela Mohajir regarding the specific AT&T/Verizon plans that are the basis for these comparisons-we usually call these out in the disclosure)