Sprint and The Onion Debut Online Video Series Exploring “Nationwide Obsession” with Former Verizon Customer Who Switched to Sprint!
Collaborative video series examines the craze known as the “Paul
Effect,” based on Paul Marcarelli, who appears in hugely popular Sprint
advertising
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sprint (NYSE: S) today released an online video series in collaboration
with Onion Labs, the creative services division of Onion Inc., which
takes a satirical look at the popularity of Paul Marcarelli – the guy
who used to ask if you could “hear me now” with Verizon and who switched
to Sprint and appears in Sprint advertising. Clearly, as evidenced in
these videos, the “Paul Effect” is taking hold of the country!
This humorous partnership with Onion Labs builds off of Sprint’s most
successful advertising campaign ever, which features Paul. The six-part
Onion Lab series, titled “Your World with Luther North,” resembles a TV
news magazine and explores Americans’ obsession with Paul.
“We wanted to have some fun with the fact that Paul switched to Sprint
from Verizon,” said Roger Sole, Sprint Chief Marketing Officer. “We
worked with Onion Labs to develop a series that takes a fun approach to
Paul switching carriers and documents the extreme – albeit fictional –
fan club that has formed around Paul.”
“Your World with Luther North” covers such topics as “The
Switcheroos,” Paul impersonators who dress in yellow shirts and wear
thick glasses; new parents who are naming their children after Paul; a
big-budget Hollywood biopic based on Paul; and the construction of a
30-foot statue of Paul – visible from space.
“It’s not every day that someone so iconic publicly switches to a
competitor,” said Julie Scott, vice president, general manager, Onion
Labs. “But the truth is that Paul is just an average guy who switched to
Sprint. We worked with Sprint to create an over-the-top parody of a news
magazine uncovering the incredible impact Paul’s decision has had across
the nation.”
The first Sprint ad that featured Paul made its Sprint debut in June
2016 to call attention to Sprint’s vastly improved network
and to highlight the savings that Sprint offers. Since then, Paul has
been used in a wide range of print, TV, online and digital advertising
for Sprint. The response to the Paul campaign has been unprecedented! In
fact, the original ad has more than 14 million views on YouTube.
The videos will be available to watch at www.sprint.com/onionlabs
and visitors will also be able to learn about Unlimited Freedom from
Sprint. Customers who switch to Sprint like Paul did will pay only
$30/month per line for four lines.1
About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more
and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about
most. Sprint served 59.5 million connections as of Dec. 31, 2016, and is
widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative
technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national
carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including
Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant
national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier
1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You
can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com
or www.facebook.com/sprint
and www.twitter.com/sprint.
1Savings until 6/30/18; then $60/mo. for line 1, $40/mo. for
line 2 and $30/mo. lines 3-4. Includes unlimited talk, text and data.
Streams video at up to HD 1080p, music at up to 1.5Mbps, gaming at up to
8Mbps. Data deprioritization during congestion. Pricing shown with
$5/month AutoPay discount applied within two invoices. Taxes, surcharges
and restrictions apply.
Contacts
Sprint
Kathleen Dunleavy, 310-709-3689
Kathleen.dunleavy@sprint.com
