The advertising industry’s self-regulating organization has urged T-Mobile to modify or drop a television advertisement featuring rapper Snoop Dogg, NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Twitch influencer Kai Cenat.
The recommendation from the BBB’s National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD) says the spot featuring the celebrities contains promises to new customers that they can get the Apple iPhone 16 Pro smartphone for free through billing credits, and “save 20 percent every month versus the other big guys.”
Those “big guys” are AT&T and Verizon, and one of them — AT&T — filed a complaint with the NAD saying T-Mobile’s TV spot didn’t go far enough in notifying customers through clear and conspicuous disclosures that qualified how customers can get the free iPhone and regular monthly savings compared to other wireless phone plans.
“NAD determined that T–Mobile’s advertising reasonably conveys the message that consumers who choose T–Mobile will receive both a free iPhone 16 Pro and save 20 percent versus AT&T and Verizon,” the NAD wrote in a statement received by The Desk on Monday. “[However,] NAD found this broad message was not properly qualified by the on-screen disclosures and recommended T–Mobile discontinue or modify the advertising to better disclose the material conditions of each offer.”
T-Mobile said it was “disappointed with NAD’s decision in this case” and plans to appeal to the National Advertising Review Board (NARB).
The complaint was brought through the NAD’s “Fast-Track SWIFT” process, which offers fewer chances for both sides to discuss the issue via briefs and discovery, and cuts down the time it takes for the NAD to issue a decision.
The three wireless companies are known to challenge TV and digital ad spots involving their rivals on a regular basis. Earlier this month, the NAD recommended Verizon to modify some claims about its text-by-satellite feature on some iPhones, following a similar Fast-Track SWIFT challenge lodged by T-Mobile. In that case, the NAD found that Verizon did not clearly disclose in its advertisements and on its website that the feature was limited to certain Apple iPhone models.
