Sprint acknowledges that crack is good, or Instinct is bad

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 22nd 2008 at 10:56PM

Spotted on Wired, we're not quite sure what to make of this ad for Sprint's upcoming Samsung Instinct; we've never much cared for fruits or other fillings in our breakfast batters, but perhaps that's just us.

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Sprint

Tags: ad, instinct, samsung, sprint

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

derX @ Apr 22nd 2008 11:18PM

Crack, as you've guessed it, is, in fact, illegal. So, yeah, unless Sprint stores are dealin', now, we've got a potential problem there.

Also, we've seen the video walkthough of the UI: it is, as a poet would phrase it, shit. I do, in fact, understand that prototypes don't sport the fully functional, gussied up version that the final product will sport. Unless the UI is changed, err, completely, the final product will have a slightly better though nearly equally as shitacular UI.

But, then again, most people won't do research and will buy it because of all the hype for a keypad-less phone.

Low Ranked

Dave @ Apr 23rd 2008 12:01AM

not to mention that people who are still on sprint obviously dont know/care about call quality or service, haha

Neutral

tc1uscg @ Apr 25th 2008 2:24AM

Just like the iPhone. I can see your point.

Highest Ranked

Gamer90 @ Apr 22nd 2008 11:49PM

That quote seems like something the wired person said not sprint.

Neutral

Chris Ziegler @ Apr 22nd 2008 11:50PM

Yes, but it's Sprint's ad. Odd quote to use, no?

Chris

Highest Ranked

jon @ Apr 23rd 2008 12:30AM

I have had sprint for 2 years and have had no problems with sprint and their service. I had very few dropped calls and that is because it was in the subway or in the elevator. I GET SERVICE IN THE SUBWAY. What other carrier gets service there?!?

I have been in Virginia, Florida, California, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Nevada, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Conneticut and all these states have flawless service from sprint. I don't know where you are living but get out of your hole.

Lowest Ranked

Dave @ Apr 23rd 2008 12:40AM

yes you get service everywhere, and the service is crap everywhere...it's like talking into a walkie talkie, unless Sprint has miraculously changed over the past two years. And no, I wasn't in some small shittown market when I was with Sprint, I was in Dallas.

Neutral

youngcalihottie @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:06PM

yes, you get sprint service everywhere. ...powered by verizon. do you seriously not know what the triangle icon is? come on now, you know youve seen it. its probably been lit ever since u bought the phone. its been there for so long u thought it was the "power is on" icon. lol.

im no verizon fanboy. actually i hate verizon. and i am even considering sprint's $99 plan. but at the same time im not fooled by it. their customer service is absolute shit. and so is their own signal. but hey, if the roaming agreements are working in your favor, then its all good, right?

Neutral

PineRoot @ Apr 23rd 2008 12:49AM

Not an odd quote at all, of course it depends who you are making the ad available to. I find it humorous and entertaining, will the Instinct actually sell like hot cakes with crack...who knows; that a tall order to fill. It is my understanding that a lot of thought goes into where, when, why and how an ad is placed and made available to the public (this is becoming more and more insignificant with the Internet; shows how old the Sprint Marketing Team is no?), and there is a reason that they chose that specific quote, my guess is that they thought it got the message across and it was catchy making you think about it long after you have finished reading it. Plus, how many people that read Wired are actually going to be insulted by this ad? If the percentage that gets insulted causes minimal damage for a better output then it was well worth it in the eyes of the marketing team.

Highly Ranked

PineRoot @ Apr 23rd 2008 1:02AM

@Dave:
Yes Sprint has been changing a lot within the last couple of years. Is it the best? Hell no, not even a close third. Regular customer service is arse, and call quality varies based on what device you have, as well as other factors such as buildings and terrain. I've had Sprint, AT&T and VZW all within the last two years, and I have to say they are all pretty much the same as far as call quality (mostly Midwest; IL, WI, MN, IN, MI, IA, SD, ND, NE) what it really comes down to is customer service, phones available, and price. If you know the not so secret $30 Sprint plan and the not so secret Exec Customer Service number, then Sprint becomes a viable option (just don't roam more than 800 minutes in 6 consecutive months) , AT&T has hands down the best phones available (but you'll get the boot for roaming too much, 50%+ of your anytime minutes in two consecutive months, and the have some restrictions in their data plans), and VZW, well they do have a great network but they are slow in getting the phones out and you'll probably end up paying more than you should for service (5GB cap, although they will never kick you off for roaming too much).

Highly Ranked

Randy @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:01AM

Crack? I prefer meth, but I'll take what I can get.

Highest Ranked

trigatch4 @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:17AM

I don't get what the big deal is... it is all a matter of targeting their ads. In my opinion, the ad was successful.

Sites and blogs like engadgetmobile and wired.com speak in a very loose language that pushes the envelope and dares to cross the line with puns and suggestions. People here dig that humor and enjoy it. They write well.

So why can't Sprint advertise to the site's visitors in a manner and style that is consistent with the one they are already known to enjoy? They wouldn't be running this ad on Nickolodeon or Prime Time Sitcom TV. The ad is on Wired, targeted to Wired readers and it FITS.

Plus, saying they will sell like "crack-injected hotcakes" is pretty PG if you've watched cable TV anytime in the last decade. Lighten up people. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Highly Ranked

Snatch @ Apr 23rd 2008 4:11PM

What a lot of people don't realize, a lot of reception problems are caused by the phone and not the carrier. Being an insider, I know for a fact...the two largest carriers use the Sprint network extensively and have for years. One of them claims to have the best network, though they don't use most of their network except in certain areas (metropolitan) and their contract w/ Sprint is running out soon...let's hope that their so called best network holds up after they migrate off of Sprint in the near future.

Neutral

youngcalihottie @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:07PM

i thought it was kind of funny.
it is a bit edgy.
***but come on now, has a single one of us never used the term "crackberry"?***
if nothing else, it got all of us talking about it.

the only reason i wouldn't have used it personally is because the use of parenthesis makes the statement lose strength. "the Instinct will sell like crack-injected hotcakes" would have been much more powerful than "(and probably will)"
not only does it weaken it, but it also seems like an afterthought.

Neutral

tc1uscg @ Apr 25th 2008 2:23AM

Having spent many days "in the woods" with people using just about every service out there (VZW, AT&T (cingular), TM, TRAC, Sprint, Nextel) While watching VZW and AT&T users walking around, bumping into trees, stumbling over rocks, etc.. trying to get a good signal for text or data service (so, what is "roaming on enhanced network" anyway?), Only the Sprint guy was able to get weather warnings of approaching tornados on his EVDO phone. After seeing that, I paided the ETF then went to Sprint. And I'll say this much, from my experience of travel (CA, HI, MI, KY, OH, FL, GA, KS, MO, IL, WI, MN, PA, Washington DC, VA), I never recall loosing service with my Sprint. Roaming or not, When it comes to data roaming, I don't care what provider Sprint it using, it works and that's something VZ or ATT can't claim. And from what I've seen, can't do either. Nuff said.

Neutral

GoombaJebboMT @ Jun 12th 2008 4:49PM

Well, I work for Sprint, but I felt it necessary to give my unbiased opinion. Personally, I think the Instinct may be a neat phone, and will draw in some customers, just like the iPhone did. Is it something I would want? No. Why? I don't think it is a piece of crap phone, but it just does not fit my needs. Different strokes for different folks. But, I DO however, think it is very foolish to just go with a carrier simply because of a phone that is available. I would be more concerned about TOTAL cost of ownership with plans etc., and research everything with due diligence before I just jumped on the bandwagon like everyone else, and wind up with something that was not up to par for my personal needs. Example: The iPhone. TONS of people flocked to get this phone....then what happens? TONS of them were returned, because people got so sucked into the hype, and then eventually got tired of them. Why jump the gun over one phone when there will be something better coming out later on anyways, REGARDLESS of what carrier you are with? Sprint is not the only company that markets a new phone aggressively to just push customer traffic. Can you blame them?

Yes, I am aware of Sprint's chellenges in the customer service area...everyone is. In a way Sprint has been it's own worst enemy because of bureaucracies that got in the way of JUST satisfying the customer which is what SHOULD HAVE BEEN Sprint's goal to begin with. That is why their churn is so high(above 3%). That is what Sprint is in the process of changing since Sprint's new CEO Dane Hesse took the helm. It is not something that will happen overnight. But in Sprint's defense, I think the phone/data service itself is great. If you want to argue about how someone SOUNDS on a cell phone you are just wasting your time. The only explanation I could give would be either turn the volume down on your headset to avoid hearing yourself, quit repeatedly dropping your phone, or quit yelling into the phone. Did the phone operate that way out of the box? Probably not. The quality of "how someone sounds" is pretty much equal with all the carriers....really it is. I have been with 3 different carriers and have worked for 2, and have not noticed a difference in that. What I HAVE noticed a difference in is dropped calls, and data services.

So to sum this all up I can only really come up with 2 answers I know for sure. 1) All carriers are going to have their own strongpoints, and shortcomings. 2) Unhappy with your carrier with something OTHER than customer service? Is the problem you are unhappy with service/coverage/plan related? If so, as a consumer I would want to research things a little bit more before impulsive and uninformed buying, but hey that is just my opinion I could be wrong.