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T-Mobile brings back Zeta-Jones
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T-Mobile USA is bringing back actress Catherine Zeta-Jones as its spokeswoman in conjunction with a new advertising campaign aimed at letting customers compare the cost of wireless services (and reinforcing T-Mobile's value proposition). 
The campaign is based around the idea that most consumers do not know that they are paying too much for wireless service, and directs them to BillShrink.com to compare cell plans and look for better value options. Denny Marie Post, T-Mobile's marketing chief, said the new campaign signalled a shift in strategy for the nation's fourth largest wireless carrier.
"We have not had a cohesive or a singular value message out there since we left the 'Get More' campaign," she said, adding that while the carrier would highlight its value to customers, that would not be its exclusive focus. T-Mobile will also emphasize coverage and service.
Zeta-Jones, who was T-Mobile's spokeswoman during the "Get More" campaign, returns for T-Mobile in a TV spot that will begin airing tonight. The carrier and the Oscar-winning actress parted ways in the fall of 2006.
In the first quarter, T-Mobile USA reported that it had just 415,000 net subscriber additions, down from 981,000 in the year-ago quarter and 621,000 in the fourth quarter of 2008.
For more:
- see this article
- see this release
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Comments
Posted by Dylan | May 21, 2009 - 12:58am
Phil, I felt compelled to respond to your well-written article. The Wall Street Journal quotes Billshrink CEO Peter Pham as remarking, “We’re unbiased. We’re an independent company. It’s great to see one of the national carriers recognize that we’re doing something different in the marketplace.” Yet in the same article, the Journal sums up how Billshrink makes its cash: "T-Mobile will pay BillShrink to use its comparison tool in its retail stores, and the carrier pays a referral fee for activations through the site (an arrangement BillShrink maintains with other carriers as well)." Isn't it remarkable that Billshrink can remain "unbiased" and "independent" in its plan recommendations when it makes its money from the cell providers? For that matter, is it really a surprise that T-Mobile and the other carriers have a soft spot for Billshrink, a company that brings them more business? As you've noticed, I'm biased here. I'm the first to proudly admit that I work for Validas, a company that uses exclusive technology to lower your cell bill by an average of 22 percent through our website, fixmycellbill.com . Yeah, we cost five bucks per cell audit (although we'll analyze your bill for free to let you know how much we could save you). But the difference is that we fight for you rather than work with the cell companies. That's why you pay us.
Good luck to everyone reading on optimizing your wireless rates, especially as many personal budgets tighten in this rough economy.
Dylan
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