Carly gets some attitude as T-Mobile revamps its marketing

T-Mobile is gearing up for a refresh of its advertising by giving its spokesperson, Carly, a helping of attitude. In its new commercial which is set to debut soon, Carly will toss aside her trademark dress in exchange for leather and a Ducati motorcycle.

The ad, dubbed “No More Mr Nice Girl”, is the beginning of the carrier’s major re-branding effort.

“We’re working toward a brand refresh later in the year,” T-Mobile senior VP Peter DeLuca said in an interview with AllThingsD. “We really can’t wait until the end of the year to make some noise in the market.”

The campaign will be bankrolled by a $200 million incremental boost to T-Mobile’s advertising spending. In addition to traditional TV spots, T-Mobile will also be allocating fund to advertise on Hulu and YouTube.

In what may be a slight nod to the Smoked by Windows Phone campaign idea, T-Mobile will also launch a “test drive” website where it will show its devices performing favorably against competing handsets. Considering T-Mobile was left out of the iPhone party after the failed AT&T sale, we’re guessing the iPhone will definitely be a target.

While T-Mobile is looking to cut costs such as reducing call-center jobs and playing with the idea of selling its U.S. cell towers, it is making a huge effort to rebrand itself and win back consumer interest.

DeLuca added, “We really want to set the record straight and say to the consumer they really should be taking a second look at T-Mobile.”

source: AllThingsD