Sprint has put the creative marketing portion of its $1.6 billion marketing budget in review: We are "open to any options to bring [Sprint] back to a competitive position," a company spokesperson said. After the Nextel acquisition in mid-2005, the merged company kept both its ad agencies, Publicis & Hal Riney and TBWA/Chiat/Day. Sprint has yet to announce whether both or either agency will be invited to participate in the review. The carrier said it will unveil a shortlist of agencies within a few weeks.
Industry analysts at Pali Research say the move is a clear sign that Sprint's three-month-old Power Up! campaign, which has recently included TV spots with actor Ron Livingston, has proven ineffective. AT&T recently announced its plans to rebrand the Cingular Wireless brand with that old mainstay: AT&T Wireless. That rebranding effort is expected to cost upwards of $1 billion.
For more on Sprint's new marketing plans:
- take a look at this article from Ad Age
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