It seems Sprint’s efforts to boost brand perception are finally paying off.
According to a new report from brand reputation tracker YouGov BranIndex, Sprint’s consumer perception rating jumped up 67 percent since the start of September. On October 18, just ahead of the carrier’s earnings call, YouGov BrandIndex’s figures showed Sprint surpassed the average carrier score for the first time since March 2012.
As of October 18, Sprint’s Buzz score – which measures whether people have heard anything positive or negative about the brand in the media or from friends – was 13, compared to the average carrier score of 11. By November 2, Sprint’s score had dipped some to 11, but was still on par with the overall carrier rating of 11.
YouGov BrandIndex said the results were based off interviews with 28,000 adults age 18 and over.
The report follows an onslaught of Sprint advertising and marketing moves aimed at improving customer perception, including Sprint’s decision to hire Verizon’s former spokesman in June, the introduction of its Unlimited Freedom plan in August, and its ongoing half-off promotion.
Over the past few years, Sprint has been battling uphill against consumer perception of both its brand and its network. But Sprint COO Gunther Ottendorfer said in September the carrier’s recent network improvements are helping turn the tide. In particular, Ottendorfer pointed to Sprint’s roll out of LTE Plus – which can be used on carrier aggregation-capable devices – as a technology that is changing consumer minds through its delivery of increased speed and overall performance.
And Sprint’s efforts are finally starting to be reflected in its own metrics as well.
The carrier last month reported 347,000 net postpaid phone additions in the third quarter, handily beating analyst expectations and doubling its postpaid phone net additions from the previous quarter.
