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Five days into 2024, T-Mobile made what could be one of the biggest account moves of the year by bringing in Dentsu Creative as its lead agency for brand strategy.
T-Mobile launched its review in June 2023 for work previously covered by Publicis’ Saatchi & Saatchi. The review honed in on agencies that could help out with sponsorship, differentiation, digital, audio and Hispanic audiences.
T-Mobile procurement took the lead on the seven-month review, with ID Comms providing support throughout the process. Dentsu Creative emerged from a field of candidates that included Saatchi & Saatchi, WPP’s VML, IPG’s Deutsch LA and Havas’ Arnold.
Representatives from VML noted that their agency continues to work on T-Mobile’s customer-relationship-management business. VML also add that its Village Marketing influencer agency won T-Mobile’s influencer business during the review, and it had been performiung influencer work for the company since August.
The brand’s work with Panay Films, which produces national TV spots and the brand’s Super Bowl campaigns, was not part of the review.
A significant part of T-Mobile’s brand strategy pitch involved finding a long-term strategic partner to bring it into the next phase of its existence. When T-Mobile positioned itself as the upstart “Un-carrier” back in 2013, it was well before the company’s nearly two-year merger with Sprint. Dentsu Creative offered new strategy and fresh creative and visual perspective that T-Mobile wants to make a part of its day-to-day customer experience going forward.
“From the very start of the process, it was clear that there was shared ambition for pushing boundaries, which is exactly why we built Dentsu Creative—to be able to take a holistic view of brands and incorporate results-driven strategic thinking that goes beyond advertising,” said Abbey Klaassen, U.S. CEO at Dentsu Creative.
According to COMvergence, T-Mobile spent approximately a billion dollars on measured marketing over the past year. T-Mobile’s move marks the second large recent account shift among the telecoms, as Verizon moved all of its consumer marketing from McCann to Ogilvy in September.
More than just TV spots
T-Mobile’s partnership with Dentsu Creative also advances the company’s recent efforts around its 5G network, which leaned heavily into both sponsorships and broad, cosmopolitan fanbases.
The provider serves as a primary sponsor of Major League Baseball, with a strong presence at marquee events including its All-Star Game and World Series, and digital offerings including applications that use 5G to enhance the on-field action. T-Mobile also showed up at Formula 1’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, branding one of the race’s turns as “Turn 5G” and sponsoring a full weekend’s worth of entertainment.
