• by Aaron Baar , December 8, 2015

The holiday season is about showing those that matter how much one cares, and Sprint is looking to spread a little cheer among its own customer base with a week-long promotion. 

Dubbed “Cheers to You,” the giveaway events give current subscribers opportunities to receive gifts such as free music, movies, or technology by checking in at a dedicated Web site every day, Dec. 7-11. 

“It’s a new spin on something that’s always been important to us -- our current customers,” Cari Ferrara, director of marketing for lifecycle and loyalty, tells Marketing Daily. “There’s a lot of activity in the marketplace, and this is a great way to show our existing customers that they’re valued.”

Sprint made a splash with a bid for new customers in November with an offer for subscribers from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile to switch to Sprint, with a guarantee of cutting their current bills in half. While that push also included incentives for new customers to receive a free tablet if they renew their new contracts, the “Cheers to You” promotion is a way to further protect their customer base, Ferrara says. 

“That’s always a balance that we strive for,” she says. “Our philosophy is if you make your subscriber base happy and show them you appreciate their business, that word will spread.”

In addition to rewarding active customers, the company has launched a new “Holiday Hero” campaign, through which current subscribers can nominate someone in their lives to win a new LG smartphone and a year of free service. The company will reward up to 15 Heroes and their nominees with the phone and service. 

“We’ve done something similar in the past where we’ve asked people to talk about someone doing good works,” Ferrara says. “This is something that's more sustained. It’s all about recognizing someone who you think is worthy during the holiday.”

Sprint has been teasing the promotions in its customer communications for the past month, Ferrara says. The company has become more concerted with its messaging during the promotion period through its social media channels and e-mails. It is also using paid social media to get the word out, Ferrara says.