Not even COVID-19 can quiet the buzz around 5G cellphone networks, and T-Mobile has been spreading the word about its network through its partnership with MLB. On the latest episode of “SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead,” T-Mobile VP/Marketing Business Development and Product Placement Mike Belcher told our Terry Lefton that the pandemic made clear just how valuable a service the company provides. The pair discussed World Series activations, navigating the pandemic, the state of sponsorship markets and more.
On T-Mobile’s partnership with MLB and 2020 activation results:
Belcher: Our partnership with MLB has been great, and there’s no doubt that it has been a little bit more challenging this year. This sponsorship team at T-Mobile has really stepped up, and we’ve really looked at what’s happening right now within sports and specifically this World Series as a tremendous opportunity for us to tell our network’s story. We have America’s largest 5G network, and baseball provides the perfect opportunity for us. You’re seeing a lot of television spots around our network. We even put this new integration or feature at the World Series giving people 5G phones. … One of the programs that we’ve really doubled down on is our Little League Call Up Grant Program. … We’re going to give away up to $2M, $10,000 for every home run, and we donate $5 for every text that’s sent through.
On T-Mobile navigating the pandemic:
Belcher: I never imagined that we would be completing one of the largest mergers in the last 10 or so years with Sprint in the middle of a pandemic and all of the other issues facing our country, especially social injustice. What we’ve found in this pandemic is it really reinforced the importance of what we do. The service that we bring to the American public is essential, and technology now brings us together. Consumers are prioritizing their spending, and mobile is something that is critical to their life. We’ve seen gaming, picture messaging, video conferencing have all more than doubled. You’re just seeing this tremendous demand for our business, and that’s part of why we’re doing very well.
On the current state of the sponsorship markets:
Belcher: It is very different. What I think has been very interesting is to see how the properties have gotten very innovative. … It’s given the properties license to do things they normally wouldn’t have done. We’ve experienced that, especially within Major League Baseball, in terms of new opportunities to put branding on the field. You see the pitcher mounds, the first and third baselines, and out in center field with the digital advertising that they’re able to do during the broadcast. It’s created new opportunities that will expand beyond this year. We’re going to start to see new, innovative ways that properties are going to deliver value for brands. We’ve seen that because there wasn’t a choice this year. It really forced us to think differently.
