Reimagine Inclusion

MYTH 11Our Ad Wasn't Racist. It Was Simply a Mistake.

In 2016, Sprint shared a short video spot where they went after competitor T‐Mobile. Former Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure is seen sitting with a group of customers, discussing other phone carriers. He asks the following question: “T‐Mobile. When I say ‘T‐Mobile’ to you, just a couple of words?”¹

A white woman sitting next to Claure exclaims, “Oh my God, the first word that came to my mind was … ‘ghetto’!”

The mostly white crowd laughs. We see a Black man with his back to the camera bowing his head. Claure nods in agreement, and quietly says. “Yes.” The white woman continues.

“I don't know … People who have T‐Mobile are just, like … Why do you have T‐Mobile?”

Claure then tweeted a link to the ad, which included the campaign slogan “Real Questions. Honest Answers.”² He stated that customers featured weren't actors. “Honest answers from real people on my #ListeningTour across the country. Sometimes the truth hurts, @TMobile.”

The backlash in social media was swift. Consumers pointed out that a mostly group of white individuals sat around laughing at the idea that T‐Mobile was a ghetto, and that T‐Mobile was associated with individuals from historically marginalized communities and cash‐strapped customers. But other brands, like Sprint, were the more legitimate options.

Even as the comments came rushing in from customers on how racist the ad was, Claure didn't back down. He tweeted again in response, this time hiding behind the ...