• by Aaron Baar , September 26, 2009

The telecommunications company over the weekend aired an NFL-themed spot depicting people wearing different NFL jerseys and using their phones in a multitude of ways. Members of the groups -- depicted in different settings -- are shown in bubbles as a metaphor for other carriers' restrictive calling circles. As with the carrier's other Any Mobile, Anytime spots, individual members of the groups will break out of the bubble to contact anyone they want, regardless of calling circle.

Sprint's Any Mobile, Anytime plan -- introduced on Sept. 10 -- allows people to call any wireless phone on any network at any time with no extra charge.

Sprint is also producing other television advertisements promoting the carrier's NFL Mobile Live application. The application, which is exclusive to Sprint, includes all kinds of football information including live radio broadcasts of every regular-season game, live telecasts of the eight games to be televised on the NFL Network beginning Nov. 12 and on-demand video highlights.

"NFL fans are insatiable in their desire for information," Steve Gaffney, Sprint's director of sports and entertainment marketing, tells Marketing Daily. "The combination of our first-in-class technology and a fan base that can't get enough information creates a perfect marriage."

The NFL Mobile Live advertising, which includes print, radio, television and online executions, will run throughout the 2009 NFL season. Team-specific radio, print and out-of-home ads will also appear in select markets and in NFL stadiums. Sprint has also created a microsite, www.sprint.com/nfl, for consumers seeking more information about NFL Mobile Live.

Along with the advertising, Sprint is integrating its Mobile Live application during NFL broadcasts, including graphics and information about the night's game running as a ticker when NBC cuts to the "Sprint Sideline" camera angle, a Sprint-NFL themed "widget wall" during CBS' Halftime show broadcast and an L-shaped graphic including messaging during Fox pre-game broadcasts. The information contained on those tickers and widgets will range from field and weather conditions to the" number of people that are tailgating and how many sausages are being consumed," Gaffney says.

"The information that we're communicated is fun and engaging and about the overall fan experience," Gaffney says, adding the information will be updated as the season progresses. "As passionate as this fan base is, we're going to have to make it new and dynamic."