T-Mobile, the self-proclaimed "Uncarrier," is taking a contrarian approach to its Super Bowl marketing, too, waiting until the big weekend to reveal its commercials featuring Tim Tebow.
The wireless carrier revealed two of its three spots on Friday morning after keeping them under wraps while many other advertisers, from Jaguar to Budweiser, were generating buzz on YouTube for much of this week.
“We’re the ‘Uncarrier.’ We don’t play by the rules that everybody plays by,” said Peter DeLuca, T-Mobile’s svp of brands and advertising, explaining the company’s decision to hold back any Super Bowl teasers until today.
Some would call it a risky strategy, but then T-Mobile seems to have shunned most traditional paths of late. Case in point: the company got rid of two-year contracts, a staple of the industry that tethers customers to their phone companies. The no-contract policy is T-Mobile’s hook into this year’s Super Bowl campaign, starring Tim Tebow.
The company has three in-game spots—in the second, third and fourth quarters—riffing off the fact the former NFL quarterback was without a pro contract last year. T-Mobile’s longtime agency Publicis handled the third TV spot, but for the first time, the company teamed up with Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners to develop the first two in-game commercials.
“T-Mobile is now teaming up with the ultimate free agent, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, for an unconventional, humorous Super Bowl TV commercial, showcasing the many benefits of contract freedom,” the company said in a statement.
The ads, each 30 seconds long and accompanied by one pre-kickoff spot, show Tebow in pursuit of oddball activities—being a rock star, delivering babies, speaking at the United Nations—all because he’s not tied to a contract.
The fourth quarter ad is not being pre-released, and won’t be available online until the game is under way on Sunday.
CREDITS
Client: T-Mobile USA
Chief Marketing Officer: Mike Sievert
Senior Vice President, Brand and Advertising: Peter DeLuca
Vice President, Marketing: Trish Cox
Agency: Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Executive Creative Director: John Butler
Associate Creative Directors: Mark Krajan, Chris Toffoli
Managing Director: Patrick Kiss
Director of Broadcast Production: Adrienne Cummins
Agency Producer: Frank Brooks
Account Director: Lindsay Grant
Account Supervisor: Samantha Bartelloni
Production Company: Imperial Woodpecker
Director: Stacy Wall
Executive Producer: Charlie Cocuzza
Producer: Anita Wetterstedt
Editorial: Arcade Edit
Visual Effects: Framestore
Sound Design: Barking Owl
Music: Beacon Street
Talent Negotiation: CAA and PMK*BNC