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OVERLAND PARK, KS — Sprint has hired Golin as its lead agency as the American telco giant looks to modernize its network to regain competitive standing.
Earlier this month, Sprint and majority owner SoftBank agreed on a plan to overhaul its network. CEO Marcelo Claure has said the effort will propel the lagging network to first or second place in the US within two years. When it comes to cellular performance Verizon and AT&T lead the way among the US’s big four carriers, followed by T-Mobile then Sprint.
Golin has been working on the seven-figure business for several weeks now, following a competitive review. Sprint works with several agencies, but Golin is now taking the lead on its consumer strategy and creative services work. The remit includes corporate communications, executive visibility, multimedia, crisis, media relations, employee engagement and CSR initiatives, CEO Fred Cook told the Holmes Report. The business is led from Golin’s Chicago headquarters with teams spread throughout the country.
Last November, former Visa CCO Doug Michelman joined Sprint as SVP of corporate communications after a brief stint at Finsbury.
Golin previously worked with Sprint more than a decade ago, under a different management team at the company. More recently, the agency's telco experience has been via its work with Metro PCS before its T-Mobile acquisition, plus previous work with Verizon and a global remit for Nokia.
As Sprint rolls out its revamped network, several PR issues are likely to come into play. For instance, the cost of the new network will probably force Sprint to either abandon — or raises costs — on its unlimited data plans.
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