BY BRIDGET MCCREA
Bran ds Flock
to Short-Form
Boost Mobile never set out to use short-form
DRTV in a traditional sense. Instead, the
Irvine, Calif.-based division of Sprint Nex-tel Corporation wanted to create advertising that included a very clear call to action that would
send consumers to its Web site or to their telephones
to dial a toll-free number. “By default, that became
short-form DRTV,” says Caralene Robinson, director
of brand marketing and entertainment for the company, which offers premium “pay-as-you-go” wireless
phones and voice data services to 4. 3 million customers, the majority of whom are under the age of 25.
Using short-form spots, Boost Mobile (Response, December 2007)
focuses primarily on selling communications devices and offering
short-term promotional plans. “We’ll offer a special and a plan for a
specific price, within certain time parameters,” explains Robinson.
“We’ve seen some pretty great results from this approach.”
The company — which has historically focused on building its
brand — has also been able to better define the “star” of its commercials (the phone itself), says Robinson. “During concept development, we can define visually from a copy perspective, and look
closely at how the offer plays out through the context of the commercial,” she explains. “It has forced us to be much more disciplined
and focused about how we sell our products and services.”
Sometimes, those details make the short-form production process
less “fun” than traditional brand advertising, according to Robinson.
“We have a reputation for making cutting edge, humorous, irreverent advertising,” she says. “But as you’re going through the short-
