Horndogs hit on Zeta-Jones in T-Mobile ads

I know I shouldn't encourage the "Husbands are ugly imbeciles" ad cliché, but I laugh at the T-Mobile spot above every time I hear the guy tell Catherine Zeta-Jones, "I like it when you say things." The ad, by Publicis in Seattle, is part of a new strategy by the carrier of basically just showing horny guys drooling all over the actress. In the spot below, it's a geeky teen who puts the moves on her. It's not the most chivalrous way to welcome the woman back after her three-year hiatus from T-Mobile advertising. Then again, she can probably handle any creepy conversation, considering she married a codger whose pickup line was, "I'd like to father your children."

—Posted by David Griner

See also:
T-Mobile turns London into big karaoke bar
T-Mobile gets to bottom of butt dialing issue

Published on August 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Celebrity endorsements, Griner, Publicis, T-Mobile, Telecom

T-Mobile turns London into big karaoke bar

T-Mobile is getting good at these big public advertising stunts over in London. First, they organized the spontaneous dancing in Liverpool Street Station (below). Then, last Thursday, they managed to get 13,000 people into Trafalgar Square for what they thought might be another dance-a-thon, but which turned out to be a collective karaoke rendition of "Hey Jude" (above). The American singer Pink showed up and joined in, too, for some reason. These flash-mob stunts, coordinated by Saatchi & Saatchi, are less notable for how they reinforce T-Mobile's brand message, which is the typically vague "Life's for sharing," than for the brand-specific way in which they're mobilized: via text message to T-Mobile customers.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 4, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Europe, Nudd, Saatchi & Saatchi, T-Mobile, Telecom

T-Mobile gets to bottom of butt dialing issue

This T-Mobile spot for the BlackBerry Flip posits that a cell phone call can be made using one's buttocks. It's an intriguing concept, and if it works, it would save time and effort, allowing those of us who are too lazy to work a keypad the old-fashioned way to dial without removing the phone from our pants. Unfortunately, like so much of what you see in commercials, it doesn't work that well in real life. I know because I've tried it. In fact, I'm wiggling all around on my chair as I type this very post. Frankly, I'm getting sore. And my co-workers are looking at me funny. It's research, people!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on January 28, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under BlackBerry, Gianatasio, T-Mobile, Telecom

Google sullies its pristine site with G1 pitch

"New! The G1 phones are available now. Learn more." So says the understated yet instantly compelling text promo on Google's normally pitch-free homepage touting its Android-based smart phone. I clicked! (Check my cookies and find out, you privacy-snuffing maniacs!) Too bad G1's service is from T-Mobile, which has dead zones the size of some red states. More to the point: I wonder if there's any embarrassing footage of Sergey Brin using Apple's iPhone. I'll Google and find out. ... OK, there's no such incriminating evidence. And even if there were, it wouldn't be so embarrassing, as Brin has talked up using Google Maps on the iPhone. (I learned this via Google, too.) My point: You can't beat Google at it's own game, and most red states are dead zones regardless of your cellular provider.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on October 23, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Android, Gianatasio, Google, Mobile, T-Mobile

Android phone might make you 'stupiderer'

Google and T-Mobile's claim that using their G1 Android phone makes you "smarterer" should stand as proof that it doesn't. Their insistence on peppering this splashy launch ad with bad grammar doesn't speak highly of the revolutionary communication they're touting, either. ("Funnerer" is nonsense upon nonsense.) We'd love to hear this Faulknerian simpleton revolution's chants. "What we want?" "More better talking!" "When we want that at?" "Now!"

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on September 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Google, Kiefaber, T-Mobile, Telecom