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Sprint gets image feedback from CEO’s ‘listening tour’

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure in February stopped in 12 cities to discuss the struggling carrier’s brand perception with customers and customers of rivals. A new video published by Sprint highlights the mixed reactions Claure heard from people around the country.

“Pin drop is the only thing I can think of,” one man told Claure, referencing a dated advertising campaign. “I think of Sprint as the comeback kid,” another man told Claure. “They always figure out a way to come back and make it work.”

A woman Claure spoke with called Sprint’s services “inconsistent. Trying to catch up rather than doing something different.”

On a more flattering note, other people interviewed called Sprint “reliable,” “affordable” and “up and coming.”

“I don’t like the image of Sprint,” another woman told Claure. “There’s something about it that’s like … image would be, like the image problem.”

Here’s the goal as described by Claure: “I’m traveling around on a national listening tour where I will sit down in restaurants, coffee shops and talk on the streets with customers from Sprint, and customers from our competitors such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Even though we continuously measure consumer preferences and sentiment, I want to hear what they think about the wireless service they use every day. I want to have a conversation with them to probe deeper into their thinking.”

During his Seattle stop, Claure said: “One of the first things I learned is that I spend a lot more time thinking about wireless service than most customers. Probably not all that surprising considering my line of work. But I am puzzled how most people couldn’t imagine leaving home for the day without their smartphone yet typically devote little attention to the service that makes it work. Or really look into how they could save a lot of money.”

ABOUT AUTHOR

Sean Kinney, Editor in Chief
Sean Kinney, Editor in Chief
Sean focuses on multiple subject areas including 5G, Open RAN, hybrid cloud, edge computing, and Industry 4.0. He also hosts Arden Media's podcast Will 5G Change the World? Prior to his work at RCR, Sean studied journalism and literature at the University of Mississippi then spent six years based in Key West, Florida, working as a reporter for the Miami Herald Media Company. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.