Are Celebrity Endorsers Really Worth the Trouble?†

Brandweek, February 9, 2009 — Late last week, Kellogg announced it was dropping Olympian Michael Phelps. His team suspended him and law enforcement officials were considering pressing charges. This all transpired after a photo of the swimmer, indulging in a bong hit, surfaced in the U.K.'s News of the World.

Phelps, once one of the most highly sought after spokespeople in the world, was believed to have an earning potential of up to $100 million. Now all of that, much like Cheech and Chong, is up in smoke.

Some of the companies that have already inked contracts with Phelps, like Omega watches and Speedo swimwear, rallied around the record-setting gold medalist. However, following the statement that "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg," it... continue reading

Calling on NBA Fans†

How T-Mobile's user-gen contest took the brand's 60-second Super Bowl spot into overtime

Adweek, June 30, 2008 — It could have been the same old Super Bowl story. A creative team toils for months, and a client spends millions, on 30-seconds of big-game glory. Then, faster than the MVP can say "Disneyland," the applause fades, the spot is relegated to routine rotation and, ultimately, assumes its final resting place on the agency reel.

Cycling’s Drug Problem Leads T-Mobile to End Sponsorship

New York Times, November 28, 2007 — T-Mobile, the professional cycling team that began this year with the sport’s largest budget and an ambitious plan to reform the sport’s drug problem, lost its sponsor yesterday because of continuing doping controversies...In announcing the decision to end its sponsorship contract two years early, Deutsche Telekom made it clear that cycling teams had become a marketing nightmare.

Behind T-Mobile's customer service success

She's blunt. She's flashy. And customer-service chief Sue Nokes is T-Mobile's secret weapon in a cutthroat industry

FORTUNE, October 1, 2007 — Marry me, Sue!" We've just pulled into the parking lot of Albuquerque's Jefferson Commons call center, home to 800 T-Mobile USA customer-service representatives, and outside there's mayhem. Hundreds of screaming, chanting people are standing in front of the building, bedecked in a wild array of hot-pink clothing (T-Mobile's signature color) ranging from T-shirts to cowboy hats to feather boas. They're waving signs, holding up camera phones, and generally acting like starstruck teenagers. One guy's wearing a fuchsia bathrobe; another, in a fluorescent-pink wig, is screaming, "We love you!" over and over.

All this booty shaking and flag waving might seem a bit extreme, given that technically today's event features a middle-aged woman on a routine visit... continue reading

T-Mobile CMO Resigns†

Butler Touted Customer Service, but Carrier Struggled to Keep Subscribers

Advertising Age, February 15, 2007 — T-Mobile USA's chief marketing officer, Mike Butler, has resigned. A spokesman for the wireless carrier said Mr. Butler was in route to the T-Mobile sponsored NBA All Star Game in Las Vegas and could not be reached immediately for comment. The spokesman declined to discuss the reasons for Mr. Butler's departure. He said a successor has not been named.

Building A Megabrand Named Dwyane

How Dwyane Wade of the Heat is rewriting the rules of sports marketing

BusinessWeek, February 12, 2007 — Practice is over at American Airlines Arena, and Dwyane Wade takes a minute to explain how he's putting his touch on a new mobile phone. The All-Star guard for the Miami Heat and a self-proclaimed budding businessman is helping wireless carrier T-Mobile USA Inc. (DT ) design a limited-edition Sidekick, the texting device/cell phone beloved by twentysomethings.

Forget Message Boards. Wikis Are Where It's at†

T-Mobile, eBay, Others Embrace Tool as a Way to Connect With Consumers

Advertising Age, February 5, 2007 — Marketers have added another item to the multichannel checklist: wikis. A wiki, popularized by the community-created encyclopedia site Wikipedia, is an easy way for a group of users to collaboratively author content.