• by Larissa Faw , December 9, 2016

Sprint is introducing two new spots to encourage people to sign up for its services during the holiday season. 

Developed with Hispanic agency Alma, the first spot features singer Jose Feliciano translating the classic song "Feliz Navidad" into "Feliz La Mitad" (Merry Half) to promote Sprint's positioning that subscribers can save 50% versus competitor rate plans. 

The second spot is developed by Sprint's in-house shop YellowFan Studio and features spokesperson Paul Marcarelli walking through the historic Kansas City landmark Union Station as he gives 'holiday advice' about Sprint's Unlimited Plans. He speaks to the camera while comparing Sprint's service and price plans to competitor's like Verizon.  

Both spots air on national broadcast TV and cable, as well as in-theaters and online.  

This is the second ad featuring spokesperson Marcarelli that has been shot in Kansas City, following "Yoga Mom." 

"When selecting the location to shoot this new ad, there was no better place than KC's beautiful Union Station decorated for the holidays to show off Sprint's hometown pride," according to the company. 

The new Marcarelli spot is also part of Sprint's focus to increase the number of lines among its consumers. Sprint says it is currently under-indexed at family plans, but also notes that average billings per account are up somewhat and that its gaining ground on competitors. 

There are basically three reasons why consumers switch carriers, says Sprint. One, and the most important one is the network. If the network doesn't perform, 50% of people will seek other services. Price and service are the other top reasons people switch. 

Sprint is also doing more with less. Its marketing expenses a couple of years back were in excess of $1.4 billion, and this year marketing costs aren’t expected to exceed $800 million, the company says.