Sprint is premiering a new marketing campaign which leverages and celebrates the company's promotional partnership with the highly-anticipated summer film Men in Black II, opening in theaters nationwide on July 3. As part of the new campaign, Sprint has incorporated MIB II and the worms into its current marketing mix. Included in the mix are television, radio and newspaper ads, in-store materials and the paint scheme on the #45 Sprint Dodge driven by Kyle Petty in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Later this summer, the marketing campaign will be expanded with exclusive wireless applications such as MIB II ringtones, screen savers and an MIB II game.

A screenshot on left from the forthcoming TV advertisment.

In director Barry Sonnenfeld's Men in Black II, Agents Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith) reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement: protecting the earth from the scum of the universe. Wireless applications are utilized in the film including digital imaging, voice commands, wireless Internet access, phone calls and more.

"Sprint is prominently featured in Men in Black II, and we have developed a marketing campaign and promotional partnership that amplifies our role in the film, making this more than just a traditional product placement or single company logo shot," said Chip Novick, vice president of consumer marketing for Sprint's PCS division. "It's clear that in a sci-fi, high-tech action movie like Men in Black II, wireless applications and devices play a vital role as characters communicate with one another and headquarters. We think Sprint has the coolest devices and multimedia applications in the universe; it's only natural to see them in MIB II."

Sprint's newest ad campaign features the Sprint Guy talking to three Men in Black II worms. In classic Sprint style, the Sprint Guy clears up confusion caused by cellular static that results in miscommunication about bringing home tangerines NOT trampolines.

To coincide with the launch of the movie, the #45 Sprint Dodge driven by Kyle Petty will showcase a Men in Black II paint scheme designed solely for the July 6 NASCAR Winston Cup race in Daytona, Florida.

Men in Black II will also be a part of the Sprint 3G multimedia application suite with dedicated ringtones, screen savers and a Men in Black II game created exclusively for Sprint in the U.S. by Digital Bridges, Ltd.

The Men in Black II marketing campaign is a precursor to the upcoming technology, devices and applications that Sprint plans to offer nationwide this summer with its Third Generation wireless network. For Sprint customers, 3G1X services are planned to launch nationwide in summer, 2002. After the launch, Sprint expects faster wireless data speeds and enhancements for existing applications and services when using a 3G-enabled device. It also establishes a platform for later releases of new and more advanced applications. Planned Sprint 3G applications include enhanced text messaging and chatrooms, JAVA-enabled games, e-mail with attachments, video and audio clips, animated ringtones and screen savers, enhanced digital imaging and faster Internet browsing.

"The organic integration of advanced wireless applications into Men in Black II will help people see firsthand that wireless is soon to be about more than just a phone call...clearly, the next trend in wireless is for the eyes as well as the ears," said Novick. "This trend will come alive nationwide later this summer as Sprint launches advanced applications on 3G PCS Phones with large, vibrant color displays."