Viral Marketing – The Sprint Ambassador Program
Sprint is kissing my pasty white ass and I love it.
A couple of weeks ago, Guy Kawasaki posted a "how to" guide for building positive PR by brown-nosing bloggers. My mind started racing. I want the CEO of a large corporation to wipe my ass, suck the toe jam from my feet, give me a bunch of free shit, and then pay me. I bookmarked Guy's post and figured I'd come back to it...
Then out of the blue - through sheer coincidence - Sprint came a knockin'!
Hi JJ,
The Sprint Ambassador Team recently visited TheChurning.com and wants to invite you to participate in our Ambassador Program.
The Sprint Ambassador Program is all about exploring our latest products and services and allows you to give direct feedback to Sprint. We recently launched the Sprint Power Vision (SM) Network and want to provide you with the full experience, at no charge. Sprint Power Vision Network enables customers to download data at faster speeds and experience new data products.
So what’s the deal?
As a qualified participant, we will send you one Sprint Power Vision phone and provide you with six months of all-access service (at no charge). You’ll have access to the Sprint Music Store(SM) live TV broadcasts, gaming and more. Yes, you will also have unlimited free calling and data service. It’s a pretty good deal and all we ask for in return is your candid feedback (you decide how much and how often).
We look forward to receiving your registration!
The Sprint Ambassador Team
I thought, "Scam scam, scammy scam scammsters!" But I was wrong. I checked out the Ambassador website, read the terms of service, and Googled it to see if any other bloggers had been roped in. Sure enough, dozens of other bloggers had already signed up.
Sprint decided to use bored, geeky, rambling blog dorks to its advantage. You gotta figure that if you send a tech-nerd a badass cell phone and free service for six months, he's gonna write about that shit online. Viral marketing, bitches!
So I got my phone. It looks like this:
My first impression: This is way more than just a fucking phone. This thing is an mp3 player, a digital camera, a camcorder, a TV, a web browser, a gaming system... the features are endless.
I've already downloaded the Texas Hold 'Em game, an episode of The Daily Show, some standup comedy, a couple of episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, some CNN clips, a little ESPN action, some Franz Ferdinand mp3's and a couple of Morrissey songs.
For the next six months of free cell phone bliss, I will not suffer a single moment of boredom. And for that, Sprint, I love you.
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March 17th, 2006 - 01:16
I had to double check the date, to make sure it wasn’t April Fools Day. That is a sweet promotion! Too bad it’s only in the States though. Have fun using your phone, hopefully the woman looking for Cara won’t call you
March 17th, 2006 - 03:18
So bad ass! I might have to start up a blog of my own to try to garner up free deals, even though you totally succame…succumbed? sucked the dick of the man, or preferrably, the giant delicious nipple of Sprint! and i oddly feel compelled to buy this phone…
March 17th, 2006 - 08:47
Cool phone! Can it find WMDs?
FYI….Verizon ads have the “can you hear me now?” guy.
Sprint has the “you can hear a pin drop (bouncing pin)” ad.
I watch far too much tv……
March 17th, 2006 - 08:47
You got a free cell-phone?!
As the Monty Python sketch goes, ‘You lucky, lucky bastard…’
March 17th, 2006 - 08:55
Lyndon:
If she gets a hold of my new cell number, I’ll drive to her house and shit on her lawn.
Ryan:
Sprint’s plan is working! They’ve piqued your interest.
Joethe:
Thanks for the heads up… I’ve corrected it. I can’t have errors in a post about my newest sponsor!
English Guy:
I do feel pretty lucky. But this is the first cool freebie I’ve gotten out of this blogging thing. It’s about time!
March 17th, 2006 - 09:49
dude. what the fuck. how do you get to be so lucky. FEH.
March 17th, 2006 - 11:07
Wha? Huh? Free stuff? Oh man… You must be the luckiest gator fan blogger.
March 17th, 2006 - 11:54
Nice! I’ve been with Sprint for years, and they just send me bills.
March 17th, 2006 - 12:37
LUCKY!
March 17th, 2006 - 12:46
AAAAIIIIIEEEE! It was bad enough that people are buying those infernal contraptions. Now they’re giving them away?!
I think I can see the end of civilization penciled in for next Tuesday. I’ll give you a call on my cell when things begin to explode.
March 17th, 2006 - 13:30
Sarah:
I guess Sprint appreciates toilet humor.
Mojotek:
Lucky? I have a feeling all Gator fans are lucky this year. All the way, baby!
Dave:
That’s the best part – I’ll get no bills from them!
C.Ro:
Hell yes!
Poobah:
When the apocalypse hits, I’ll have my people call your people.
March 17th, 2006 - 14:52
Too bad I’m not an electronics geek. Lucky bastard, you!!
I am, however, a Gator fan!! (i miss Florida)
March 17th, 2006 - 17:54
just for the record, some internet counter says that i am in the top ten of referral sites to your blog… just wanted to pass that along in case sprint was reading… hint… hint…
March 17th, 2006 - 23:10
I want one, or two, or three. Yes, I’m greedy.
March 18th, 2006 - 05:20
okay ya this is not pertaining to the post you made. i am in the military. and in iraq right now, i was in the unit you nephew was in before he left the military and now i no way of getting ahold of him. i was wondering if you knew anything about him. and how i could get ahold of him. so umm ya my e-mail is robert.e.guile@us.army.mil plz help me out
March 18th, 2006 - 17:16
Well holy shit!
Ok I’ve been beating these comment spammers to hell like made. Now if they want to give me free shit, I’ll let them comment spamm….!
Way to go JJ!
March 19th, 2006 - 16:51
um, i want.
March 23rd, 2006 - 16:28
Exploring. My ass. Have you seen how they get your money at the same time? Downloads online playing. Nice one JJ.
Sprint decides to choose the big ‘blogging mass’ because they are open for new stuff and would basically ‘try everything’. Where are they at slashdot?
Whose opinion do they want? Excited bloggers trying out something they get for (so-called) free or ueber-nerds who have no other life as testing stuff and criticizing it.
Of course they need the opinion of people on the user-friendliness and other shi-ite.
No offence to you JJ, just to their deonthology. Remember how Edward Norton is at the beginning of ‘Fight Club’? An over-fashioned ‘have everything that everyone wants’ in my home. Those are the people they are looking for. But I am glad you got a free phone. Hopefully they’ll even let you keep it after those six months
March 23rd, 2006 - 16:50
April:
Go Gators!
Trav:
Keep referring! Me likey.
J.Mo:
You can have mine in six months… Hahaha…..
Guile:
You got it, man. Kev will be psyched to hear from you. Ummm… I hope you never saw this:
http://www.thechurning.com/?p=111
MacBros:
Luckily they never spammed me. That was just my assumption when I first saw the email. They seem pretty cool actually.
Soviet:
Yeah, it’s pretty cool.
MadBull:
If they give me free shit while they exploit me, then I say, “Exploit away!”