Sprint Ads Tout IP Networking
Continuing its efforts to promote its expanding backbone -- and in the wake of financial concerns -- the telecom debuts a new campaign in global markets.
Sprint will promote its Internet Protocol networking services in Europe and Asia with a new ad campaign that seeks to breathe new life into an old clich.
The print and online campaign, designed by edgy Amsterdam-based ad agency StrawberryFrog, continues an earlier campaign’s theme of how customers must adapt to the unexpected success that comes with employing the Kansas City, Mo.-based telecom.
The new ads feature the tagline, “Become an IP giant.” The ads show people having literally grown in size after they use Sprint to implement an IP network. One of the print executions shows a huge man trying with difficulty to squeeze into his cubicle, to the astonishment of an onlooker. Copy reads: “A successful network can jeopardize your chances of lying low in the office.”
A second print ad features a business meeting, during which a presenter is using a giant’s chest as a projection screen. “Once you achieve network success, you may be asked to take on other projects,” reads the ad’s copy.
The ads continue Sprint’s efforts to promote its IP network products, which are being rolled out worldwide in conjunction with the expansion of its Tier 1 Internet backbone into new markets. In October, the company completed an 11-city, 10 gigabits-per-second IP network in Europe, connecting key cities in Ireland, the U.K., France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.
“Sprint has developed a reputation for providing the utmost reliability, from our top tier network to our sales and service professionals,” said Sprint International president Yousef Javadi. “These professionals are with our customers throughout installation, implementation and beyond — with ongoing service to ensure our customer’s data solutions needs are met as their business needs change. Our ad campaign is designed to illustrate the successes our customers achieve by choosing Sprint, showing that our customers can become larger than life in their business.”
StrawberryFrog creative director and partner Dylan Ingham said the campaign takes the obvious meaning of that cliche and imbues it with new meaning.
“For this important brand, we wanted this highly produced and entertaining campaign to communicate a clear sales message, ‘Call Sprint for your Internet solutions and become a giant in your business,'” Ingham said. “As a brand idea, giants are highly inspirational beings. They take giant steps, think big, move worlds.”
The new campaign continues the concept of how Sprint’s IP networking services can provide clients with an unexpected level of success — a theme that was central to a campaign run last year in the European and Asian markets.
Those ads, also developed by StrawberryFrog, featured the tagline “Beware of Sudden Accomplishment.” Executions showed happy business decision-makers with black eyes, broken teeth and bruises after being “knocked senseless from behind by their own unbridled success,” according to the ads’ copy.
The campaign comes just days after Sprint announced a $1 billion loan commitment from Citibank NA and Deutshe Bank AG, an effort to shore up its finances. The loan, which was secured by the assets of Sprint’s directory publishing business (which it is also looking to sell) should meet the telecom’s cash requirements for 2002, it said.
The move also comes less than a week after Genuity, which operates its own global backbone in competition with Sprint, debuted a new campaign seeking to promote its Voice Over IP services for businesses.
