Sprint July Announcement 8 14

JULY
ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS
Recreated PMS DATE dELIVEREd: 8/14/2013
redistribution or reproduc tion is prohibited without writ ten permission 2013 ma shwork, inc.
TABLE OF CONtENtS
Methodology Key Insights July Announcement Analysis Competitive Analysis Volume Over Time Analysis Sprint Influencers Recommendations 3 4 59 1015 1620 2122 2327
BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013
Recreated PMS
THE GOAL OF ThIS STUdY WAS TO UNdERSTANd hOW WELL SPRINTS 4G LTE ANNOUNCEMENTS dId ACROSS MULTIPLE MARKETS ANd IN COMPARISON TO ThEIR COMPETITORS ANd hOW ThE ANNOUNCEMENTS EFFECTEd ThE SPRINT BRANd.
We analyzed conversation from July 30, 2013, through August 6, 2013, to capture the announcement of the new Sprint 4G LTE network coverage that occurred on July 30, 2013 and the six days that followed the announcement. We focused on capturing conversation across the social web, which consisted of Twitter, a sample of Facebook posts, blogs, forums, comments, and news. We analyzed conversation surrounding the Sprint 4G LTE announcement on July 30th to see how buzz and sentiment had changed from the previous announcement and the baseline sentiment established. For our analysis of the general social web, we crafted a complex boolean framework designed to capture all conversation surrounding Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. We then trained our technology to learn the difference between relevant and irrelevant conversation surrounding Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Relevant conversation was defined as conversation relating to each mobile carrier as a brand, their devices, networks, and announcements. Within relevant conversation, we trained our technology to understand what was positive, neutral, and negative. Once we trained a sample of posts and categorized sentiment, our technology replicated that judgment on the conversation at large and returned to us how the sentiment broke down for each category. For Sprint, we furthered our sentiment analysis to understand more granularly what categories of conversation made up positive and negative sentiment. We categorized conversation surrounding Sprints 4G LTE network and announcement as Messaging conversation, specifically categorizing sharing of articles and press releases with positive conversation. Messaging conversation contains posts about the Sprint 4G LTE service and related announcements. Network conversation contains posts about the Sprint network and coverage unrelated to 4G LTE service. We looked at conversation over time about Sprints network, particularly to the new markets defined in the 4G LTE expansion. We targeted and tracked specific zip codes for Miami, The Bronx and Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and the 20 cities with the highest population combined. We then measured the sentiment of three select markets and aggregated the sentiment for the additional 20 largest markets from February 7, 2013, through August 6, 2013.
MEtHODOLOgY
WE ANALYZED tHE IMPAct OF tHE JULY 30tH 4G LTE ANNOUNcEMENt ON SPRINt SENtIMENt, PARtIcULARLY WItHIN tHE NEW 4g LTE MARKEtS.
From the conversation that was analyzed about Sprint and separate markets, we found 10 influencers for Sprint. To qualify as an influencer, users had to have Klout scores of at least 50 and had discussed the Sprint 4G LTE announcements. We evaluated the top two buzz generating announcements for Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile during 2013, along with the most recent announcements for Sprint and AT&T. We created an Announcement Success Index that compares population of the cities evaluated to the buzz generated on the specific days. We then multiplied this ratio by 1,000 to normalize the data and produce our Success Indexes and compared to the number of cities announced to in order to evaluate the engagement success of the announcements.
KEY INSIgHtS
Recreated PMS
CUSTOMERS EXPRESSING FRUSTRATION WITh ThEIR MOBILE CARRIERS hAS BEEN A CONSISTENT BEhAVIOR ACROSS REPORTING PERIOdS.
Despite 4G LTE launches and network enhancements, sentiment surrounding Sprint and AT&T remained largely negative. Negative drivers of mobile carrier conversation are consistent month after month despite 4G LTE announcements and device releases. While improvements in service temporarily increased positive sentiment, as soon as issues arose with devices, network connections, or customer service, negative sentiment returned.
AT&TS LOCALIZEd STRATEGY PROdUCES hIGhER QUALITY CONVERSATION AMONGST REAL PEOPLE.
Conversation surrounding 4G LTE in Miami remained over 90% for over a month following the June 17th announcement as users were not experiencing connection issues that typically surfaced in other markets. Negative sentiment did not begin to increase until the end of July when issues with spotty LTE began to surface. The Bronx and Brooklyn, and Philly, were also able to maintain positive sentiment for the entire week after the announcements were made, as hype and excitement outweighed the minimal network issues experienced.
POSITIVE SENTIMENT LINGERED LONGER THAN USUAL IN SOME MARKETS pOST ANNOUNCEMENT. THIS COULD BE AN OppORTUNITY TO CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM WITH LOCALIZED CONTENT.
While larger releases may drive slightly more conversation volume, a significant portion comes from promotional spam and accounts retweeting keywords. AT&T made announcements to much smaller groups of markets than Sprint and T-Mobile, generating more than double the buzz per capita. When they attempted to couple their announcement with 77 upcoming market releases (April 10th), their buzz per capita suffered.
BY MAKING FEWER, MORE PERSONALIZEd ANNOUNCEMENTS TO AT ONCE, MOBILE CARRIERS SEE hIGhER AUdIENCE BUZZ PER CAPITA ANd SUSTAIN MORE LTE CONVERSATION IN ThE LONG RUN.
ThE USE OF CUSTOM hAShTAGS ANd EMPLOYEE NETWORKS CAN BE EFFECTIVE FOR dRIVING BUZZ ANd EXPANdING REACh AROUNd CARRIER ANNOUNCEMENTS.
AT&T created an employee hashtag and encouraged their internal teams to distribute different AT&T announcements through #ATTemployee. Over 10% of hashtag usage is devoted to supporting the brands 4G LTE announcements. Sprint created #Discover4GLA to promote 4G LTE in LA. This hashtag generated 144 posts in July and 180 in April.
Announcements in aggregate saw consistent levels of positive sentiment, but it was short-lived nonetheless. AT&T however, was able to successfully sustain their Positive Messaging conversation through frequent LTE releases and timely upgrades. Additionally, AT&T posted about market specific LTE upgrades and reinvigorated conversation with a series of status updates that sustained conversation six months after the initial announcement.
Within the Bronx and Brooklyn markets, Sprint released a press release teaser announcement that 4G LTE service would be available in the next week. While the announcement successfully generated a significant spike in Significant competitive brand announcements, like Sprints conversation, it did so at the expense of the announcement acquisition news and T-Mobiles iPhone 5 release, affect day conversation. By publishing a press release as the brand sentiment overall. When Softbank made a bid to teaser, Sprint, in theory, made the same announcement purchase Sprint, neutral conversation surrounding the twice. Sprint also failed to continue to single out the Bronx brand spiked, as did T-Mobiles positive sentiment when the and Brooklyn on the actual day of the announcements, and iPhone 5 was released. Once these news announcements the cities were lost in the long list of new 4G LTE markets. become irrelevant, sentiment returns to its typical state.
MAJOR BRANd SPLAShES hAVE AN IMPACT ON ThE EB ANd FLOW OF POSITIVE ANd NEGATIVE SENTIMENT.
PRE LAUNCh BRANd COMMUNICATIONS ARE EFFECTIVE IN dRIVING LARGE SPIKES IN CONVERSATION, BUT AT ThE EXPENSE OF ThE ANNOUNCEMENT ITSELF. TEASERS MERELY PULL AhEAd ThE CONVERSATION.
JULY ANNOUNcEMENt ANALYSIS
PARt I
7/30/13 8/6/13
PARt I: SPRINT DRIVERS OF SENtIMENt

Recreated PMS
Sprints July announcement of 4G LTE saw an increase in Positive Messaging conversation, but failed to outweigh the consistent complaints with the carrier as a whole. While 4G LTE expanded to new markets, Negative Network conversation still generated close to two times as much buzz as Positive Messaging. Neutral conversation decreased by 25% as there were no major announcements or acquisitions that caused the spike in Neutral during the last announcement. Sprints Q2 earnings release failed to garner significant buzz, but did make up the majority of Neutral conversation. On the day of the new announcement, Positive Messaging conversation spiked to a high of 25% of total Sprint conversation. Over the course of the week, Positive Messaging conversation decreased in volume as excitement died down, but could have been maintained if Sprint continued to promote the news in the days following the actual launch. Messaging conversation contains posts about the Sprint 4G LTE service and related announcements. Network conversation contains posts about the Sprint network and coverage unrelated to 4G LTE service. Total Mentions: 31,585 posts
Positive Volume 8,844 posts
Positive
+7%
28
17% +2% POSITIVE GENERAL 1% +1% POSITIVE PrICE 7% +4% POSITIVE MESSAGING 3% +0% POSITIVE NETWORK
Neutral
-25%
14%
Neutral Sprint Messaging/PR Volume 4,422 posts
Negative
+18%
58%
23% +8% NEGATIVE GENERAL 9%+4% NEgaTIVE PrICE 5% +4% NEgaTIVE MESSAGING 13% -1% NEGATIVE NETWORK
Negative Volume 18,319 posts
8% +2% NEgaTIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

Top 3 drivers (total volume):
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Superscript percentages refer to change in share of voice in comparison to the baseline from 12/16/12 through 6/16/13. Mentions are posts which contain discussion of Sprint keywords. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 7/30/13 8/6/13
PART I: SPRINT DRIVERS OF SENTIMENT

Recreated PMS
POSITIVE GENERAL: 17%
Positive General conversation was generated by posts discussing Sprint as a brand in a broad manner. General sentiment surrounding Sprint continued to produce the highest amount of positive conversation after the July 30th announcement. Conversation consisted of people discussing their Sprint phones, that they plan to switch to Sprint, or that they had positive experiences with the Sprint brand. Conversation surrounding excitement about new devices and sustainability caused a slight increase in Positive General conversation from the baseline.
Sooo Im picking up my IPhone tomorrow from sprint. Yay @HarleySue99; Unknown Im about to disconnect my phone and just go to sprint @melyyyxo; Unknown I love sprint for all the discounts imma receive I need a new phone and a upgrade on them....all :-) @mzwhitfield02; Unknown Thanks @sprint for unlocking my Iphone for free, for my trip to Thailand. Now I get to call home and talk to my family while Im away! @Stormented; Albine, TX
Positive Messaging conversation was almost solely related to its network expansions. Negative responses to Sprint Messaging during this announcement outweighed the excitement surrounding the expansion. However, Positive Messaging conversation remained similar in nature, with people frequently sharing links announcing Sprints expansion of its LTE networks to new markets. Verbatims
Sprint expands 4G LTE to 41 more cities http://t.co/ xITTWwZDUU @BestSmartphones; Worldwide Sprint finally gets the LTE wheel turning again with 41 new cities: Sprints latest round of launche... http://t.co/ HeG81OacTZ #MobiApps @mobi_apps_ar; Unknown Sprint has LTE now in Philla! :) @DeadlyScionide; Unknown OMG WE GOT LTE TOWERS FOR SPRINT IN SUFFOLK AHHHHH!!! @akayyyx; New York, NY
POSITIVE MESSAGING: 7%
Verbatims
POSITIVE PRICE: 1%
Positive Price conversation discussed the affordability of Sprint contracts. This category continued to be a minimal part of Sprint conversation, generating 1% of buzz. People discussed the unlimited data plans, low contract prices, or that Sprint helped them with their bills.
Phone billed paid for the month I can deal with that. Thanks sprint! #goodlookingout @itsjameshayes; Unknown Sprint & Verizon have cell plans w/ UNLIMITED talk (to anyone), text & data!! Switching means no extra charges. No more AT&T billing issues! @kiwijessica; New York, NY finding out sprint paid my august bill for me >>> #daymade @taybeezy21; Unknown sprint offers service for 119$ a month + 250$ activation. no data caps. sounds like a good deal right? @XeroCreator; Unknown
Positive Network conversation about Sprint was made up of customers discussing that they had good coverage and service. This conversation remained minimal in percentage, similar to the June 17th announcement. Customers reference negative experiences in the process of relaying positive ones. The majority of the time, customers shared that their LTE service was fast or that they had good service in certain locations. Verbatims
I have good service in Indiana, thanks @sprint @dleep17; Unknown Sprint got great service wherever Im at right now. Five bars & LTE speed. @THEMisterrEff; Milwaukee, WI For the first time ever, I have 4G LTE on my Sprint Galaxy Nexus. @sovryntech; NH i got to experience sprints lte for like 5 minutes today... pretty dope @ImTime; Cleveland, OH
POSITIVE NETWORK: 3%
Verbatims
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Mentions are posts which contain discussion of Sprint keywords. Messaging conversation contains posts about the Sprint 4G LTE service and related announcements. Network conversation contains posts about the Sprint network and coverage unrelated to 4G LTE service. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 7/30/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 31,585

Recreated PMS
Neutral Sprint Messaging/PR conversation consisted of people sharing news articles, blogs, and press releases about Sprint. After the hype surrounding Dish Network and Clearwire died down, neutral conversation decreased by by a large margin. The Q2 earnings announcement for Sprint drove shares of news articles and press releases. There was also a large amount of article sharing surrounding NetZeros deal to use Sprint LTE. Note: This conversation was void of any 4G LTE market expansion discussion as this was classified as Positive or Negative messaging conversation.
NEUTRAL SPRINT MESSAGING/PR: 14%
Verbatims
Sprint Posts $1.6 Billion Loss As Nextel Shutdown Weighs On Bottom Line: Sprint is posting its Q2 financial r... http://t.co/ EWbvQVkAE @MobileForumsNet; Worldwide Sprint reports $1.6B net loss as it shuts down Nextel platform http://t.co/IoJA5neKYK @MobiOps; Worldwide SNetZero strikes deals to use Sprint LTE and Verizon 3G http://t.co/fnQ0JlGli0 @engadgetmobile; Worldwide Sprint posted its earnings report for its second quarter of 2013 today, boasting its highest-ever revenue at $7.2 billion, representing an eight percent year-over-year increase... Jacob Kleinman, technobuffalo.com
NEGATIVE GENERAL: 23%
Negative General conversation consisted of people expressing discontent with Sprint as a company. Customers expressed increased frustrations with their two year Sprint contracts and that they wanted to switch carriers. When coupled with T-Mobiles recent announcement of JUMP, the ability to upgrade phones before two years, Sprint customers were even more angry about not being able to upgrade phones or change carriers. Verbatims
So AT&T got Next & T-Mobile got Jump. Catch up Sprint. I want the new 5s before my contract is up @_tvcdee; TX its terrible luckily my 2 year contract is up this year RT @ mymangot2JOBS_ Sprint sucks @MahadXv; Atlanta, GA Everybody on this one year upgrade when you want...sprint where yall at...cuz Im gon jump on the T-Mobile Jump plan or AT&T #ComeOnSprint @ShesPhotogenic; Detriot, MI Sprint is the worst. I will not be renewing my contract. @WhitKneeH; FL
Negative Price conversation was generated by people expressing frustrations over how expensive their contracts were. This conversation was much more prevalant during the July 30th announcement than the June 17th one. Within this conversation, we heard more Sprint customers complaining about paying off phone bills. Customers also expressed frustrations over the necessary payments when other mobile carriers were cheaper or offered zero dollars down at sign up. Verbatims
I havent payed my phone bill in a week now. I really wouldnt need it anyways. Stupid sprint. @MfsFlowa; Unknown Sprint cut my phone off AFTER I paid my bill. Th wrong with them?! @diamondpeach012; Denton, TX @sprint why is your service worse than metro pc and cost double? #ScrewThisContract @HeyMisterImKrissi; Tampa, FL Sprint turned my phone off... And I paid my bill......... And my phone is off......................... @SHAYNUHCHANEL; Houston, TX
NEGATIVE PRICE: 9%

Recreated PMS
Negative Messaging conversation surrounding Sprint consisted of people complaining about Sprints LTE strategy. Frustrations grew with Sprint because customers still were not included in the upgrades after multiple new market announcements. Customers typically expressed anger over their cities still being on the waiting list or that the LTE service was not working. There was also increased conversation from customers complaining that their 4G LTE was spotty or not working at all.
#Sprint you have got to be kidding me, NO 4g LTE in Denver, still...? Its not like were a major metro US city or anything!? @therealBVH; Foothills, CO Was Sprint not supposed to be putting 4G towers in Tucson but the end of July? ITS AUGUST 1ST WHAT THE hell @sprint @k8lingr33n; Unknown @sprint Can you please explain to me why Columbus, OH STILL hasnt gotten LTE coverage yet? Do you know how many customers you are losing? @Tone_Capone; Columbus, OH I am very disappointed with Sprint, still have no consistent 3g, 4g is spotty at best in most areas,friend has lte with tmobile already @JK2011till; Boca Raton, FL
NEGATIVE MESSAGING: 5%
Negative Customer Service conversation consisted of people expressing frustrations over the poor service and assistance they received from Sprint. Customer service conversation during the time of the July 30th announcement was very similar to that of the June 17th announcement. Sprint customers continued to be angered by poor customer service online, over the phone, and in-store. Verbatims
Just experienced the worst customer service Ive had on three continents by @sprint - absolutely disgusted. Got Sprint? Id cancel it now. @DKesslerPhoto; Indianapolis, IN #sprint customer service representatives man....where the hell do they find these idiots. #40minuteslater #problemsolved @OneLoveRissa; Unknown @sprintcare The service is horrible and it seem like sprint is only worried about the money and not da satisfaction of the customer @Sayit_aintTone; Unknown I have to say I am very disappointed with @sprint customer service at the store in Miami on Kendall... Not happy right now! @Lalisiluscious; Miami, FL
NEGATIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE: 8%
Verbatims
Negative conversation surrounding the Sprint network consisted of customers complaining about dropped service and outages. There was no change in conversation from the previous announcement. Negative Network conversation was more than four times as common as Positive Network conversation. People remained annoyed and angry over dropped service or no service at all despite LTE expansions.
Sprint has the worst service ever!!! @Nancy_Z93; Unknown Sprint have service in the weirdest places @Simply_Me55; Unknown Sprint proved to be the worst service possible tonight @nancyeldred; California Having BAD Service #Sprint at the #moment Cannot #call anybody @JamieTaylor610; Valencia, CA
NEGATIVE NETWORK: 13%
Verbatims
COMPEtItIVE ANALYSIS
PARt II
2/7/13 8/6/13
PARt II: cOMPEtItIVE ANALYSIS

Recreated PMS
AT&T ANd SPRINT BOTh ANNOUNCEd 4G LTE NETWORK EXPANSIONS, ANd WhILE SPRINT GENERATEd SLIGhTLY MORE BUZZ BY RELEASING TO MORE CITIES, AT&T GARNEREd EQUAL POSITIVE SENTIMENT ANd A BETTER BUZZ PER CAPITA.
AT&T released separate press releases that individually highlighted the markets receiving updates, while Sprint released one that failed to individually reference markets in the title and a limited amount in Tweets posted.
T-MOBILE REMAINEd ThE MOST POSITIVE BRANd, SEEING PROLONGEd POSITIVE CONVERSATION FROM ITS IPhONE RELEASE ANd NEW EXCITEMENT SURROUNdING ITS COMMERCIALS.
T-Mobile also saw the highest buzz when compared to Sprint and AT&T, however the majority of the difference was due to the Bill Hader T-Mobile commercials which caused buzz from current and non-customers.
Negative T-Mobile conversation increased during this time as its campaign #Hate2Wait, while a positive push Sprint and AT&T saw similar sentiment around their for the company, also instigated negative conversation announcements. While Sprint struggled to generate high from frustrated customers because they were still waiting levels of buzz per capita, the overall sentiment generated for T-Mobile upgrades. was similar to that of AT&T as levels of excitement about LTE were synonymous across the carriers.
Volume: 31,585 posts
28% (+7%)
Recreated PMS
14% (-25%)
58% (+18%)
29% (-2%)
26% (-6%)
45% (+8%)
64% (0%)
16% (-15%)
POSITIVE
20%(+14%)
NEUTRAL NEGATIVE
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Superscript percentages refer to change in share of voice in comparison to the baseline from 12/16/12 through 6/16/13. Mentions are posts which contain discussion of Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile keywords. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 7/30/13 8/6/13
11

Recreated PMS
AT&T saw a more significant spike in positive sentiment than Sprint on the days of their respective announcements, however, Sprint was able to hold on to the surge in positive sentiment longer than everyone else. Though Sprint did not see as drastic a change in positive sentiment as AT&T, and while Sprint also returned back to negative, it was able to maintain a consistent positive sentiment longer than AT&T did.
POSITIVE NEUTRAL NEGATIVE
29% (-2%)
POSITIVE 29%
Close to one-third of all positive conversation surrounding AT&T was related to its announcement on July 31st and the excitement around the new markets. Discussion of the phones used on the AT&T network were discussed often, most notably the iPhone 5. People also discussed the GoPhone and Prepaid options available. On August 1st, J.D. Power announced that AT&T ranked the highest for customer service satisfaction of Wireless carriers. This announcement made up 9% of conversation on the day the announcement was made and 15% on the day after. Verbatims AT&T Debuts 4G LTE in Charleston http://t.co/j6AMsmtndY #wsaz @wsazjedwards; Carleston, WV AT&T receives J.D. Power award for wireless customer service! #1 baby!!! @aClaireSchwartz; Orlando, FL Gotta love coming into work to new found LTE coverage. Thank you AT&T. @joekorzo; NJ I love great customer service!! The guy from AT&T was so helpful! (And Im pretty sure he was Texan based on his accent) just sayinnn! #TX @alyssarizavi; TX
26% (-6%)
NEUTRAL 26%
The majority of neutral conversation surrounding AT&T was generated by people sharing articles or blogs discussing news announcements. People commonly shared the announcement that Starbucks would be switching from AT&T to Google as their WiFi provider. AT&T also generated a significant amount of buzz around different customer-friendly promotions they were starting, like phone replacements and study abroad discounts. Verbatims Starbucks replaces AT&T with Google as its in-store WiFi provider http://t.co/vzb0Ty0YZ8 @ForbesTech; Worldwide RT @AndroidPolice AT&T Galaxy S III Finally Getting Premium Suite Multi-Window OTA Update, Android 4.1.2 (Build UCDMG2) @RichB0yMarty; Stamford, CT RT @scrappinmichele Safe Mobile WiFi For Families - AT&T Unite via @ Techmama http://t.co/VDEUgNz1oz @techmama; Silicon Valley, CA AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Move Forward With Isis Mobile Payment Plan: Isis will support the iPho... http://t.co/2d5QOf #industry #news @KarenKinnaman; Redding, CA
45% (+8%)
NEGATIVE 45%
Like most wireless carriers, AT&Ts negative conversation was most notably generated by people complaining about their dropped calls and poor service. During this time period, there were higher than normal complaints around spotty service, which were later announced to be caused by upgrades across AT&T. Despite winning the customer service satisfaction award from J.D. Power, AT&T still experienced a large volume of customer service-related complaints, which is typical for any brand across social media. Verbatims .@ATTCustomerCare 28 days, still no service. Im starting to doubt if @Uverse actually exists. @ATT @DaveMacQueen1; Charleston, SC I really hate my AT&T service @DniseSonnenberg; Huntington Beach, CA I cant wait until my contract with @ATT is up. Theyre so rude and unhelpful!! #neveragain #ATT #nothappy @withaK27; Stillwater, OK AT&T has horrible customer service today I wanna scream. @ashxlee_; Unknown
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Superscript percentages refer to change in share of voice in comparison to the baseline from 12/16/12 through 6/16/13. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 7/30/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 25,644 posts
12

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T-Mobile, on the whole, exhibited less strategic focus around network announcements in social media than Sprint and AT&T. Despite their lack of marketing priority around said announcements, T-Mobiles recent brand building investments are clearly showing dividends as it relates to driving positive sentiment for the brand. The iPhone 5, despite being released in March, was salso a driver of positive sentiment.
POSITIVE NEUTRAL NEGATIVE
64% (0%)
POSITIVE 64%
Conversation surrounding T-Mobile remained consistently positive and twice as positive in comparison to the other mobile carriers analyzed. T-Mobiles new commercials with Bill Hader also began to drive significant positve buzz. People expressed how hillarious he is and how they would like to see more. People also shared announcements that T-Mobile expects LTE in 90% of top 25 markets by years end. The markets that already had LTE service expressed satisfaction over their new, faster network. Verbatims 4G LTE is the best. Thanks T-Mobile. @Arnold0rtega; NJ I love these new Bill Hader T-Mobile commercials. They are funny & real. Ive gotten a new phone just find out about a newer version. @ChrisWCox17; Oklahoma City, OK T-Mobile expects 2x10MHz LTE in 90% of top 25 markets by years end #android http://t.co/qTvJa70CIE @PaulFrenzel; Unknown I love the T Mobile commercial ... It never fails to crack me up @martinezk_; Dalton, NY
16% (-15%)
NEGATIVE 20%
20%(+14%)
NEUTRAL 16%
Neutral conversation surrounding T-Mobile was a small percentage of conversation as no overwhelmingly large announcement occurred during the time period. The majority of neutral conversation came from the sharing of articles and announcements relating to new devices becoming available on the network. Though it occurred in March, the iPhone availability on T-Mobile continued to drive conversation, including news articles claiming that the iPhone saved T-Mobile from losing hundreds of thousands of customers. Verbatims RT @SebastienPage Study finds landing the iPhone saved T-Mobile from losing at least 300,000 customers http://t.co/JbYosfJb3M @AnthonyEsposito; Pheonix, AZ LG Optimus F3 arriving at T-Mobile with 4G LTE via @slashgear http://t. co/yvPSHebymx @glass_lane; Los Altos, CA T-Mobile wont sell Moto X in stores, customers will have to buy direct from Motorola http://t.co/ FDmSj3OcyB #tech @Champagnie; Redmond, WA
Negative sentiment surrounding T-Mobile continued to be less than half of Sprint and AT&T, though it continued to increase, driven by complaints with LTE coverage. T-Mobile launched a campaign to promote flexible contracts called #Hate2Wait. While it was designed for customers to share why they hated to wait on other carriers, some used it as a way to complain about T-Mobile. As is common across all mobile carriers, the majority of negative conversation was still generated by people complaining about the poor service they received. Verbatims @TMobile been waiting for an hr for network to work on my phone, so now my phone is dying and it will not charge right :( #Hate2Wait @cindee_ruby_oh; Unknown I #Hate2Wait because @TMobile is making me. Ive been a customer since 1999 and getting #Hosed @ItsEkinsAgain; Unknown TMobile sucks, sick of the service and my phones breaking. #letsswitchalready @breckanbryn; Unknown @Tmobile I hate you. I never have service @dereiont_; TX
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Superscript percentages refer to change in share of voice in comparison to the baseline from 12/16/12 through 6/16/13. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 7/30/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 32,991 posts
13

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ThE ANNOUNCEMENT SUCCESS INdEX
The Announcement Success Index compares the total population of markets in the selected announcements to the total buzz that occurred on the announcement day. We analyzed the two most discussed announcements on social media for Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Also included were the most recent announcements for Sprint and AT&T.
3.0
2/25/13 6 cities
KEY
7/31/13 10 cities
2.5
Recreated PMS
2.0
SUCCESS INDEX
1.5
1.0
4/10/13 11* cities
0.5
1/8/13 10 cities 4/18/13 21 cities 7/25/13 15 cities
6/17/13 22 cities 7/30/13 41 cities
10
20
30
40
50
NUMbER OF NEW MARKETS
AT&T DATE SUCCESS INDEX NuMBER OF NEW MARKETS 2/25/13 2.81 6
AT&T 7/31/13 2.75 10
AT&T 4/10/13 1.19 11*
SPRINT 6/17/13 .51 22
T-MOBILE 1/8/13 .30 10
SPRINT 4/18/13 .27 21
SPRINT 7/30/13 .17 41
T-MOBILE 7/25/13 .03 15
*While 11 cities received 4G LTE on April 10th, AT&T announced 77 markets that would receive LTE over the summer.
14

Recreated PMS
ANNOUNCEMENT SUCCESS IS A GAME OF REGIONAL QUALITY NOT NATIONAL QUANTITY.
While AT&T generated less overall volume of conversation than Sprint for their July 31st announcement, the competitive carrier showed impressive performance when it came to localized engagement around their announcements (as defined by the buzz per capita index). Similar to the social marketing trend toward engaged users versus sheer number of fans, driving regional (rather than national) engagement around announcements is a critical metric for success.
AT&TS ANNOUNCEMENT STRATEGY CUSTOMIZEd hAShTAGS ARE MORE CONSISTENTLY GENERATEd A hIGhER BUZZ EFFECTIVE FOR BRANd PROMOTION ThAN PER CAPITA ThAN SPRINT BY RELEASING GENERIC ONES. During the reporting period, Sprint embraced #4GLTE TO LESS CITIES AT ONCE.
AT&Ts Success Indicies are more than double the indicies of the compared announcements. While the populations for Sprints announcement cities was almost seven times more than the AT&T announcement populations, the buzz per capital was a fraction of AT&Ts. Typically, AT&T announced to half of the cities that Sprint did, and when AT&T did group their announcement with an announcement for 77 upcoming LTE markets (April 10th), their buzz per capita struggled.
to help distribute news and messaging surrouding their network updates. The hashtag received respectable pick up during the seven day period. Unfortunately, only 36% of those hashtag uses had anything to do with Sprint. This stems from the fact that Sprint chose to latch on to an already existing hashtag with organic use behind it rather than customizing the hashtag to include their brand name.
#4GLTE now is in 151 cities nationwide, including Our Nashville, Philadelphia and Oakland. http://bit.ly/11s5V2A @Sprint
AT&T CREATED MULTIPLE PRESS RELEASES AT&TS ATTEMPT TO USE EMPLOYEES TO FOR THEIR LTE EXPANSIONS IN AN EFFORT GENERATE ANNOUNCEMENT BUZZ HAS TO BETTER dISTRIBUTE NEWS ANd TARGET BEEN LARGELY SUCCESSFUL. SPECIFIC MARKETS. AT&T has traditionally pushed its employees to use
The July 31st, 2013 announcement surrounding 4G LTE expanding to 10 cities consisted of unique press releases for each city. The localized press releases that specifically mentioned each market in the title were able to generate more awareness and buzz within these specific markets, but did not generate comparable overall buzz to Sprints July 30th announcement. the hashtag #ATTEmployee to promote variious brand efforts. The hashtag was used 1,077 times during July, 10% of which related directly to the brands 4G LTE announcements.
fastest network? Check. Most reliable? Check! Nations http://t.co/AzDVDzkLqF #ATTemployee @bklein34
SPRINTS MOST RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT hAd A LOW SUCCESS INdEX, AS IT dId NOT hIGhLIGhT EACh MARKET TO dRIVE AWARENESS.
For their most recent announcement, @Sprint posted one Tweet promoting their press release which garnered 22 This announcement on July 30th saw the second lowest Retweets and 13 favorites, while @ATT did not share their Announcement Success Index. So, while the population was four times larger than their most recent announcement announcement at all. to date, it did not reap them any incremental benefit above Our #4GLTE now is in 151 cities nationwide, including and beyond AT&Ts buzz levels (e.g., national scale did not Nashville, Philadelphia and Oakland. http://bit.ly/1 @Sprint yield greater volume). Coupling 41 different cities together within one announcement had an adverse effect on Sprints buzz per capita.
SPRINT WAS MORE SUCCESSFUL AT DRIVING TWITTER ENGAGEMENT WITh ThEIR OFFICIAL hANdLE THAN AT&T.
15
PARt III
VOLUME OVER TIME ANALYSIS
2/6/13 8/6/13
MIAMI NEtWORK BUZZ OVER tIME

Recreated PMS
Sprints announcement in Miami generated the most sustained positive conversation out of any market analyzed. Contrary to what is typical for most markets, conversation relating to Sprints announcement remained positive for a much longer time period in Miami. After close to two months, conversation was still significantly more positive than negative within Miami, Florida though negative conversation did begin to increase after about a month of time passed. Positive sentiment surrounding Sprint in Miami remained over 90% positive until the end of July, as 4G LTE advancements in the Miami area saw limited outages or issues, especially when compared to trouble markets like Chicago and Los Angeles.
250 200 150 100 50 0 90% 9% <1%
/ 2/ 13 21 / 2/ 13 28 /1 3/ 3 7/ 3/ 13 14 / 3/ 13 21 / 3/ 13 28 /1 4/ 3 4/ 4/ 13 11 / 4/ 13 18 / 4/ 13 25 /1 5/ 3 2/ 1 5/ 3 9/ 5/ 13 16 / 5/ 13 23 / 5/ 13 30 /1 6/ 3 6/ 6/ 13 13 / 6/ 13 20 / 6/ 13 27 /1 7/ 3 4/ 7/ 13 11 / 7/ 13 18 / 7/ 13 25 /1 8/ 3 1/ 13
94% 2% 4%
POSITIVE: 61% NEUTRAL: 17% NEGATIVE: 22%
2/
2/
14
7/
13
7/ 2/ 13 14 / 2/ 13 21 / 2/ 13 28 /1 3/ 3 7/ 3/ 13 14 / 3/ 13 21 / 3/ 13 28 /1 4/ 3 4/ 4/ 13 11 / 4/ 13 18 / 4/ 13 25 /1 5/ 3 2/ 1 5/ 3 9/ 5/ 13 16 / 5/ 13 23 / 5/ 13 30 /1 6/ 3 6/ 6/ 13 13 / 6/ 13 20 / 6/ 13 27 /1 7/ 3 4/ 7/ 13 11 / 7/ 13 18 / 7/ 13 25 /1 8/ 3 1/ 13
50 40 30 20 10 0
EXPANDED VIEW OF HIGHLIGHTED SECTION
2/
SPRINT SUSTAINEd POSITIVE SENTIMENT LONG AFTER ThE JUNE 17Th ANNOUNCEMENT
6/17/13 8/6/13
After the announcement of 4G LTE in Miami, it was expected that Sprint conversation in the market would shift back to negative in sentiment. However, from the day of the launch of the network advances through August 6th, conversation in Miami surrounding Sprint remained largely positive. While negative sentiment began to increase slightly mid-July, it increased at a slower rate than is typical and conversation remained above 60% positive in nature.
HAPPENED, SPRINT LTE IS IN MIAMI. THANK THE turned on LTE in Tampa & Miami today. Any ITS Sprint NETWORK GODS. @csbellina iPhone 5 Sprint users that can attest to the speeds? @stephenrobles Sprint continues to expand its 4G LTE coverage, Miami Welcome to #Miami #Sprint #LTE http://t.co/ in tow http://t.co/hrFewrJ25F @InnovationTu OGPxsM4AUT @thegraviator
Mentions are posts which contain mentions of Sprint 4G LTE service or announcements within Miami. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 2/7/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 844 posts
17
BROOKLYN/BRONX NEtWORK BUZZ OVER tIME

Recreated PMS
Sprints Bronx/Brooklyn teaser was successful in driving buzz prior to the actual launch of 4G LTE in the two markets. On July 24th, Sprint released a press release stating that in less than a week, 4G LTE will be turned on in the two locations, driving conversation that was eight times higher than conversation on the actual launch date. This teaser increased positive conversation in these locations about Sprint and was able to sustain this positive conversation through the announcement and the week following.
350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
1
67% 33% <1%
61% 38% <1%
/ 2/ 13 21 / 2/ 13 28 /1 3/ 3 7/ 3/ 13 14 / 3/ 13 21 / 3/ 13 28 /1 4/ 3 4/ 4/ 13 11 / 4/ 13 18 / 4/ 13 25 /1 5/ 3 2/ 1 5/ 3 9/ 5/ 13 16 / 5/ 13 23 / 5/ 13 30 /1 6/ 3 6/ 6/ 13 13 / 6/ 13 20 / 6/ 13 27 /1 7/ 3 4/ 7/ 13 11 / 7/ 13 18 / 7/ 13 25 /1 8/ 3 1/ 13
2/
2/
14
7/
13
7/ 2/ 13 14 / 2/ 13 21 / 2/ 13 28 /1 3/ 3 7/ 3/ 13 14 / 3/ 13 21 / 3/ 13 28 /1 4/ 3 4/ 4/ 13 11 / 4/ 13 18 / 4/ 13 25 /1 5/ 3 2/ 1 5/ 3 9/ 5/ 13 16 / 5/ 13 23 / 5/ 13 30 /1 6/ 3 6/ 6/ 13 13 / 6/ 13 20 / 6/ 13 27 /1 7/ 3 4/ 7/ 13 11 / 7/ 13 18 / 7/ 13 25 /1 8/ 3 1/ 13
50 40 30 20 10 0
2/
SPRINT ANNOUNCES ThAT LTE WILL BE LIVE IN ThE BRONX ANd BROOKLYN
7/24/13
The announcement stating that 4G LTE service would become available in the Bronx and Brooklyn generated significantly more buzz than the actual day that the service was turned on. Leading up to the announcement, positive sentiment surrounding Sprint in the Bronx and Brooklyn was less than 50%. Once the press release was shared, positive sentiment increased to two-thirds of Bronx and Brooklyn conversation.
SPRINT TURNS UP 4G LTE IN 41 MORE LOCATIONS

7/30/13
Sprint turned on LTE in the Bronx and Brooklyn on July 30th. The date that the service was turned on did not generate significant buzz in comparison to the teaser that it would be coming. By releasing the teaser announcement as a press release, Sprint cannibalized the buzz that would have come on the actual announcement day. Sprint also failed to highlight the Bronx adn Brooklyn on the day of the announcement by hiding the two cities within the larger press release with the additional 39 markets.
LTE in Brooklyn now finally #Sprint sheesh 4G @powderican LTE for Sprint launched in the Bronx today! Finally @iRawriLaugh
Mentions are posts which contain mentions of Sprint 4G LTE service or announcements within The Bronx and Brooklyn, NY. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 2/7/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 1,038 posts
18
PHILADELPHIA NEtWORK BUZZ OVER tIME

Recreated PMS
Sprints announcement in Philadelphia was the least successful at driving positive sentiment when compared to the other markets analyzed. The day of the announcement generated only 50% positive sentiment within Philadelphia, however, like the other markets, negative sentiment remained minimal. After the announcement, positive sentiment stayed consistently around 50%, while negative sentiment slowly increased as people became frustrated or experienced problems with LTE. 1
100 80 60 40 20 0 51% 46% 3%
14 / 2/ 13 21 / 2/ 13 28 /1 3/ 3 7/ 3/ 13 14 / 3/ 13 21 / 3/ 13 28 /1 4/ 3 4/ 4/ 13 11 / 4/ 13 18 / 4/ 13 25 /1 5/ 3 2/ 1 5/ 3 9/ 5/ 13 16 / 5/ 13 23 / 5/ 13 30 /1 6/ 3 6/ 6/ 13 13 / 6/ 13 20 / 6/ 13 27 /1 7/ 3 4/ 7/ 13 11 / 7/ 13 18 / 7/ 13 25 /1 8/ 3 1/ 13
2/
2/
7/
13
7/ 2/ 13 14 / 2/ 13 21 / 2/ 13 28 /1 3/ 3 7/ 3/ 13 14 / 3/ 13 21 / 3/ 13 28 /1 4/ 3 4/ 4/ 13 11 / 4/ 13 18 / 4/ 13 25 /1 5/ 3 2/ 1 5/ 3 9/ 5/ 13 16 / 5/ 13 23 / 5/ 13 30 /1 6/ 3 6/ 6/ 13 13 / 6/ 13 20 / 6/ 13 27 /1 7/ 3 4/ 7/ 13 11 / 7/ 13 18 / 7/ 13 25 /1 8/ 3 1/ 13
40 30 20 10 0
2/

7/30/13
Philadelphia was the second largest city to receive 4G LTE and 3G improvements on July 30th. The city generated about half of the network buzz that the Bronx and Brooklyn did over the same time period, but on the day of the actual announcement, Philadelphia saw three times as much buzz as the two New York cities. Because Philadelphia did not have a teaser announcement like the Bronx and Brooklyn, when LTE was turned on, it was the first people in the city heard of the enhancements. The launch of LTE service in Philadelphia was not locally covered within the city, and only saw mentions by larger publications that discussed the announcement at large. If the Philadelphia announcement was localized, similar to AT&Ts, the city would have generated more significant buzz.
Yessss >>> Sprint extends LTE coverage to 41 new LOL...@sprint LTE in Philadelphia was supposed to be Oh markets - New markets in Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., completed by this past January. Im so glad I switched and Oak... http://t.co/VGmmc5HFaz @ronstew to @TMobile. @ricankng787 the great 4G LTE speeds from @Sprint nice Mine sucks tho RT @SimplyCecilia: RT @sprint: Our Enjoying to see speeds like this. #sprintLTE #sprint http://t.co/ #4GLTE now is in 151 cities nationwide, including j290tVjZeF @steven_2320 Nashville, Philadelphia and Oakland. @b_eternal757
Mentions are posts which contain mentions of Sprint 4G LTE service or announcements within Philadelphia. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 2/7/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 563 posts
19
ADDItIONAL CItIES NEtWORK BUZZ OVER tIME

Recreated PMS
The top 20 cities based on population within the July 30th announcement generated consistent spikes in conversation due to announcements in other markets. Due to announcement markets being spread out across the country, some of their neighboring markets had previously been a part of Sprint 4G LTE announcements. These markets saw spikes in conversation due to past announcements as customers discussed envy over their neighbors networks. The additional cities analyzed were the 20 cities in the announcement with the highest populations.
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
74% 20% 6%
7/ 2/ 13 14 / 2/ 13 21 / 2/ 13 28 /1 3/ 3 7/ 3/ 13 14 / 3/ 13 21 / 3/ 13 28 /1 4/ 3 4/ 4/ 13 11 / 4/ 13 18 / 4/ 13 25 /1 5/ 3 2/ 1 5/ 3 9/ 5/ 13 16 / 5/ 13 23 / 5/ 13 30 /1 6/ 3 6/ 6/ 13 13 / 6/ 13 20 / 6/ 13 27 /1 7/ 3 4/ 7/ 13 11 / 7/ 13 18 / 7/ 13 25 /1 8/ 3 1/ 13
2/

7/30/13
Conversation regarding the LTE announcements in these 20 cities waned in comparison to the Bronx and Brooklyn, and Philadelphia. People in these cities Retweeted the Sprint press releases and different news publications announcing the markets. Half of the conversation during the time of the announcement consisted of link sharing, while 20% referenced @Sprint. On the day of the announcement, positive sentiment more than doubled while negative sentiment remained consistent. Sprints SF Twitter handle, @Sprint4GLTE_SF, was unsuccessful at increasing buzz during this announcement which included Oakland, CA, a Bay Area city.
time!! @sprint: Our #4GLTE now is in 151 cities My friends @sprint launched 4G LTE in Oakland, About nationwide, including Nashville, Philadelphia and Fremont and Hayward today! what what! cc: Oakland. http://t.co/ZrEYTJKnO @hodariToure_PhD @Sprint4GLTE_SF @Menace
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Mentions are posts which contain mentions of Sprint 4G LTE service or announcements within the 20 highest population cities: Tulsa, OK Oakland, CA Laredo, TX Durham, NC Fayetteville, NC Brownsville, TX Fort Lauderdale, FL Springfield, MA Salinas, CA Pompano Beach, FL Flint, MI Palm Coast, FL Deerfield Beach, FL Harlingen, TX Jackson, TN Daytona Beach, FL Rocky Mount, NC Ocala, FL Port Charlotte, FL Saginaw, MI Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 2/7/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 980 posts
20
PARt IV
SPRINt INFLUENcERS
7/30/13 8/6/13
tOP 10 TWIttER INFLUENcERS

Recreated PMS
Influential individuals discussing the 4G LTE announcement most commonly shared links to news articles, press releases, and announcements regarding Sprint. Positive Tweets were generic Retweets or shares while negative Tweets regarding LTE expressed high levels of frustration with the service and the Sprint brand.
TWITTER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Positive Tweets San Francisco, CA
TWEET
CNET
Sprint extends LTE coverage to 41 new markets http://t.co/mBLwqMrRqT @CNET; Tech product reviews & news site
LOUT
95 69 65 65 65 64 63 62 61 57
Florida
ANDROID CENTRAL
Sprint flips on 4G LTE in 41 new locations http://t.co/9tJJmeArOV #android @androidcentral; Android smartphone news site
Portland, OR
THE OREGONIAN
.@Sprint, @TMobile expand LTE coverage in the Portland area http://t.co/ yKK5IEvqrv via @rogoway @Oregonian; News source @notothequo People who are on Sprint in #Vegas will be very excited when LTE is rolled out everywhere here. @24k; Social media specialist Is this a joke? Its Sprint, so yes. RT @androidcentral Sprint LTE hits Brooklyn, the BIm ronx on July 30 http://t.co/GtFL2lM0en #android @AirlineFlyer; Editor and correspondent @NYCAviation Sprint 4G LTE launches in Philadelphia, Portland, Oakland, and 38 other cities http://t.co/x7yfvhT4Io @AndrewKam; Smartphone blogger @ghost_reiter @AddisonTodd @iamharrisonb Unlimited data is the best, unless of course you are on Sprint, then you walk two feet and go from LTE to 1X. @AddisonTodd; Podcaster
Las Vegas, NV
CHRIS RAUSCHNOT
New York, NY
JASON RABINOWITZ
Jersey/Miami
ANDREW KAM
Unknown
ADDISON TODD
NYC/VA
RAY
Sprint Opens LTE Network in Bronx and Brooklyn http://t.co/SR6tafFrrg @ray; Entrepreneur, Blogger, Tech Enthusiast
Pensacola, FL
CHRIS NICKINSON
I heard a nasty rumor that @sprint lit up their LTE in Pensacola. @chrisnickinson; Social Media for @runnerspace_com
Central Oregon
J. MACDONALD
@vandalgrad My @Sprint LTE is pulling nearly 10Mbps/down and 9Mbps/up. Sad. @MrMacnology; Educator
Negative Tweets
We analyzed Sprint conversation to identify the top 10 influencers speaking positively and negatively about the 4G LTE announcements. Klout is an online tool that measures social influence by assigning a score between 1-100 that represents the users influence. Sources: Twitter Dates: 7/30/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 31,585 posts
22
Recreated PMS
REcOMMENDAtIONS
23
REcOMMENDAtION INtRO
Recreated PMS
ThE FOLLOWING RECOMMENdATIONS WERE dERIVEd FROM ThE SPRINT BASELINE & JUNE ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS, ANd ThROUGh AN IN dEPTh AUdIT OF COMPETITORS 4G LTE ANNOUNCEMENTS OVER ThE SAME TIME PERIOd.
All of the recommendations are designed to accomplish three objectives: 1. Amplify Sprints 4G LTE announcements 2. Gain Share of (4G LTE) Voice from competitors 3. Decrease negative sentiment toward Sprint across the social web It is important to note that there are two analyses for this assignment and that this report establishes a baseline context and a first look at the June announcements. With more intelligence in the second report on the June announcements, as well as an additional set of data, these recommendations may gain greater focus and evolve.
REcOMMENDAtION 1
Sustain 4G LTE coverage conversation using a localized announcement strategy that leverages market specific press releases and content.
LOCALIZEd ANNOUNCEMENT STRATEGY
OBSERVATION
AT&T generates a significant amount of local press using individual announcements for each market. These hits are shared/picked up not just by local media outlets, but also larger tech influencers. We noticed with the right rollout and executions, this led to announcements being distributed on larger media sites like WSJ.com. New markets are launched frequently (almost every week) which also sustains LTE conversation.
CONSIdERATION
We understand that localizing and increasing the frequency of the network coverage announcements requires additional output and resources, however, given Sprints challenger position (in terms of number of markets with 4G LTE coverage and share of voice on social), this approach could create a valuable ROI.
ACTION
Announcement strategies should cater to local markets. Sprint should create localized content as a modern supplement to press releases. Video and infographic content is particularly effective (see content suggestions on Pg. 29). To sustain conversation, markets should be announced with greater frequency.
24
REcOMMENDAtION 2
Recreated PMS
LTE CONTENT STRATEGY OBSERVATION
4G LTE conversation spikes will last longer if a content strategy was applied to the announcements. 4G LTE announcements produce a short and sharp spike in conversation the day of, then diminish during the days following, as can in the 24 markets analyzed. (See analytics spike analysis Pg. 1923)
ACTION ITEM 3
Engage social following with giveaways that amplify the LTE announcements. Collect data and push deals to people during the entry process. Ex: Click on the map on the #SprintLTE city you would like to visit!
ACTION ITEM 1
Prolong the spike in conversation using social content and promoted posts designed to amplify 4G LTE chatter. Create hashtags that encourage people to participate in 4G LTE announcement conversation. Ex: Today #Chicago became the 60th #4GLTE city, Retweet if you love the speed of your #SprintLTE device!
CONSIdERATION
ACTION ITEM 2
Use 4G LTE devices to take short videos of 4G LTE in action in new markets. Ex: Downloading a movie trailer in LA
Sprint has experimented with different content outputs. For example, a video was created documenting the progress in Chicago on the 4G LTE build out. That local touch is crucial and should be more than a reactive tactic based on customer feedback. Sprint should champion this as a proactive communications strategy. Additionally, infographics work well as dynamic and shareable social content. The interactive network map that exists on Sprints website serves a specific purpose, but does not lead to sharable social behavior. Inforgraphics could be created either ahead of a market launch or in conjunction with one. The infographic could outline the coverage area, articulate the benefits of Sprints 4G LTE approach, or even just leverage a thematic representation of a given market (e.g. Golden Gate Bridge, Sears Tower, etc.).
REcOMMENDAtION 3
By releasing some information about 4G LTE launches, Sprint will garner significant pre-buzz that will help build excitement for the actual roll out.
TEASING STRATEGY OBSERVATION
Right before the LA launch, some details were uncovered by an Engadget editor who wrote a speculative piece about the 4G LTE roll out. This coverage generated a significant amount of conversation before the launch that occurred several weeks later. (Reference Report Pg. 21)
ACTION ITEM 2
Use posts to help build anticipation for 4G LTE rollouts. For example, share Tweets that ask the community to guess which city is next to receive 4G LTE from a few options. Provide hints that will generate conversation and buzz before the official announcement.
ACTION ITEM 1
ACTION ITEM 3
In order to create pre-buzz, Sprint should consider announcing 4G LTE cities in groups 2 weeks before turning on the switch. On the day of launch, a localized release with supplementary content should be shared on Sprint channels.
Leverage tech influencers to promote #SprintLTE in local markets by engaging with them before their area officially receives LTE coverage.
25
REcOMMENDAtION 4
Recreated PMS
TARGET CONVERSATIONS
Most people do not like their wireless carrier and are pretty vocal about it. By using promoted Tweets, Sprint can target these conversations and put offers in front of these unhappy customers encouraging them to switch networks.
OBSERVATION
Verizon seems to be targeting negative conversation that includes their competitors with promoted Tweets. The messaging could vary based on the issue at hand, be it device related, network related, or otherwise.
REcOMMENDAtION 5
By leveraging new device announcements, Sprint can raise awareness for new 4G LTE markets and gain share of voice.
LEVERAGE DEVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS OBSERVATION
New device announcements are a huge driver of 4G LTE conversation. T-Mobile saw significant volume and longevity related to iPhone 5 announcement (Reference Report Pg. 12).
ACTION
Create more content featuring 4G LTE enabled devices and insert 4G LTE expansion info into new device releases.
NEXt StEPS
ThE NEXT REPORT WILL INCLUdE:
1. Further analysis on the June 17th announcements 2. New insights from July announcements 3. More analysis on AT&Ts localized announcement strategy 4. Additional recommendations based on additional data input
26
APPENDIX
Recreated PMS
Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile generated the majority of their conversation across Twitter, though forums and blogs made up 10-20% of conversation. While Sprints top source was its own website, the two competitors top source was caller.com.
Recreated PMS
TWIttER 78% FORUMS 12% BLOGS 5% fACEbOOK <1% NEWS 4% COMMENtS <1%
Top Blogs, News, and Forums

sprint.com* ad-hoc-news.de blogspot.com yahoo.com sprintusers.com* reddit.com stlouisnews.net 2,900 166 161 150 136 126 118

caller.com att.com* yahoo.com reddit.com macrumors.com wpcentral.com blogspot.com 333 255 222 191 172 156 135

caller.com reddit.com wpcentral.com yahoo.com macrumors.com androidforums.com crackberry.com 370 223 169 156 149 117 107
*Note: conversation on the brand pages occurred on blogs and forums that are a part of the sites; including customer service and FAQ pages. Sources: Twitter Sample Facebook Blogs Forums News Comments Dates: 7/30/13 8/6/13 Mentions: 31,585 posts
27

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JULY

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

JULY ANNOUNcEMENt ANALYSIS

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PARt I: SPRINT DRIVERS OF SENtIMENt

Neutral Sprint Messaging/PR Volume 4,422 posts

Negative Volume 18,319 posts

8% +2% NEgaTIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PART I: SPRINT DRIVERS OF SENTIMENT

POSITIVE GENERAL: 17%

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PART I: SPRINT DRIVERS OF SENTIMENT

NEUTRAL SPRINT MESSAGING/PR: 14%

NEGATIVE GENERAL: 23%

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PART I: SPRINT DRIVERS OF SENTIMENT

NEGATIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE: 8%

NEGATIVE NETWORK: 13%

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PARt II: cOMPEtItIVE ANALYSIS

Volume: 31,585 posts

Volume: 25,644 posts

Volume: 32,991 posts

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PARt II: cOMPEtItIVE ANALYSIS

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PARt II: cOMPEtItIVE ANALYSIS

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PARt II: cOMPEtItIVE ANALYSIS

ThE ANNOUNCEMENT SUCCESS INdEX

4/10/13 11* cities

6/17/13 22 cities 7/30/13 41 cities

NUMbER OF NEW MARKETS

AT&T DATE SUCCESS INDEX NuMBER OF NEW MARKETS 2/25/13 2.81 6

AT&T 7/31/13 2.75 10

AT&T 4/10/13 1.19 11*

SPRINT 6/17/13 .51 22

T-MOBILE 1/8/13 .30 10

SPRINT 4/18/13 .27 21

SPRINT 7/30/13 .17 41

T-MOBILE 7/25/13 .03 15

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PARt II: cOMPEtItIVE ANALYSIS

ANNOUNCEMENT SUCCESS IS A GAME OF REGIONAL QUALITY NOT NATIONAL QUANTITY.

VOLUME OVER TIME ANALYSIS

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

MIAMI NEtWORK BUZZ OVER tIME

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

BROOKLYN/BRONX NEtWORK BUZZ OVER tIME

61% 38% <1%

SPRINT TURNS UP 4G LTE IN 41 MORE LOCATIONS

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

PHILADELPHIA NEtWORK BUZZ OVER tIME

SPRINT TURNS UP 4G LTE IN 41 MORE LOCATIONS

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

ADDItIONAL CItIES NEtWORK BUZZ OVER tIME

SPRINT TURNS UP 4G LTE IN 41 MORE LOCATIONS

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

tOP 10 TWIttER INFLUENcERS

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

BASELINE & JULY ANNOUNCEMENT ANALYSIS 8/14/2013

LOCALIZEd ANNOUNCEMENT STRATEGY