Nov 20, 2012

Aleady a member? Sign in Get More From Ad Age Register to become a member today. You'll get the essential information you need to do your job better, including 7 free articles per month on Ad Age and Creativity Ability to comment on articles and creative work Access to 9 custom e-newsletters like Ad Age Daily, Ad Age Digital and CMO Strategy To get unlimited content and more benefits, check out our Membership page Register Now Want more Access, Content & Connections? We are glad you are enjoying Advertising Age. To get uninterrupted access and additional benefits, become a member today. Already a member? Log in or go back to the homepage . T-Mobile Names Tech-Marketing Veteran as CMO The No. 4 Carrier Lags Verizon, Sprint and AT&T in Ad Spending By John McDermott . Published on November 20, 2012 . Michael Sievert, a 20-year marketing veteran, began his new job as T-Mobile CMO on Monday, the company announced. Michael Sievert Mr. Sievert joins the wireless carrier from his position as CEO of Discovery Bay Games, a maker of tablet games and accessories. Prior to that , Mr. Sievert spent 20 years with a host of companies including AT&T Wireless, Procter & Gamble and Windows. He was also a co-founder of Switchbox Labs, a consumer technology startup that was acquired by Lenovo in 2009. "Mike is a unique creative genius, and his track record as a disruptive force in tech and telecom couldn't be better suited to our plans to redefine wireless as America's un-carrier," T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere said in a statement. "This is a critical and incredibly exciting time for T-Mobile as we race forward with our network modernization and LTE launch in 2013, ramp up investments in relaunching our brand and begin to shake up the U.S. wireless market. " That shaking up involves a possible merger with MetroPCS Communications Inc. that T-Mobile's parent, Deutsche Telekom AG, proposed in May. Currently the fourth-largest U.S. wireless carrier, T-Mobile USA would vie with Sprint for the No. 3 position were the merger to go through. Andrew Sherrard, the acting CMO since this spring, will return to his VP-marketing position for T-Mobile's contract business. T-Mobile spent $772 million on advertising in the U.S. in 2011, a 5.7% decrease from the prior year, according to Ad Age Datacenter. By comparison, Verizon spent $2.5 billion, AT&T nearly $2.4 billion, and Sprint $1.4 billion in the same period. In this article: