Holiday ad wars: New Sprint Nextel campaign claims superior network, prices: Spots tout ‘superiority of America’s largest, most dependable 3G network’

Sprint Nextel Corp. is back at it again with a new advertising campaign claiming the carrier is the industry leader in value, network superiority, customer service and wireless user experience.
On Nov. 23, Sprint Nextel began airing more black-and-white commercials featuring CEO Dan Hesse, gently speaking to viewers about the benefits of “joining the Now network.” Sprint Nextel’s new ads claim customers can save anywhere from $240 to $1,000 annually by leaving AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless.
The ads also reiterate Sprint Nextel’s claims that it has “America’s largest (based on number of square miles – including roaming, Sprint has four times the coverage of AT&T’s current 3G network) and most dependable 3G network.” Sprint Nextel said it bases its claims on independent, third-party drive-test data – from an unnamed source – on connection success and session reliability for the top 50 most populous U.S. markets from March to September of this year.
The new campaign comes as Sprint Nextel attempts to reverse its sagging fortunes and entice back customers leaving in droves.
The ads reignite the one-upmanship among the nation’s three top carriers. This summer, during the height of 3G iPhone mania, the three carriers went head to head with claims that each was fastest, biggest or best. Sprint Nextel put a direct hit on AT&T Mobility, saying it had five times more 3G coverage than the nation’s largest carrier, based on square miles. Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless bounced back by saying they both covered more people than Sprint Nextel.
Such claims are difficult to independently evaluate because each carrier chooses to measure network reliability and coverage through different methods and third-party research firms, and those firms are never made public.
Interestingly, one specific skirmish between Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility did enjoy a conclusion of sorts. In October, the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus recommended AT&T Mobility modify or discontinue two of its “More Bars in More Places” TV commercials. Verizon Wireless challenged the ads and brought them to NAD’s attention, saying that AT&T Mobility was claiming that its network performance, beyond geographic coverage, was superior to that of AT&T Mobility’s competitors.
AT&T Mobility chose to ignore NAD’s recommendations.
Not surprisingly, Sprint Nextel’s latest ad campaign will be bouncing around during the critical fourth-quarter holiday shopping season – when the wireless industry typically records the largest number of sales and greatest consumer interest.