Carly Foulkes: no More Mr. Nice Girl.
But Foulkes doesn't appear in two new T-Mobile ads, nor as part of the branding on its web site.
Nor will she, a T-Mobile spokesperson tells us. "The current campaign will not feature the character of the T-Mobile Girl, however she is still a part of the company’s brand family," a spokesperson says.
- SEE ALSO: Carly Foulkes' life story in pictures.
That's what companies usually say when they bid goodbye to brand icons — that the character will not be used in "current" ads, but they reserve the right to bring them back.
Most often, it's a death sentence, as Esurance's Erin — a pink haired spy — found out a few years ago.
Foulkes debuted as the girl in the pink dress in fall 2010.
One possibility is that Foulkes is being put out to pasture because the company really wants consumers to focus on the iPhone 5 and the pricing part of the company's offer. She could, of course, return once the campaign is beyond its initial launch stage. But we noticed that Foulkes wasn't at the big press launch for the new strategy, either, even though she is believed to live in New York where the event was held.
Separately, the new front page of the T-Mobile web site calls the company's past strategy "clueless." Here's a screengrab:
T-Mobile
The headline, "T-Mobile has left the clueless-cellular-company building," refers to the company's new pricing strategy.
T-Mobile has been wanting to offer the iPhone for years and later in April it will finally be able to sell the Apple phone to customers. In addition, T-Mobile is introducing a new pricing structure, offering the iPhone 5 without a contract.
Foulkes + iPhone 5 + simple pricing could have been a killer, "sells itself" marketing prospect.
Yet instead, the company went with launch ads — from Publicis Seattle — that feature a bunch of cowboys who resolve to stop pushing people around (as other wireless carriers do with their lon-term contracts). Another ad features The Daily Show's Jason Jones, delivering a faux report on what people don't know about phone contracts (see videos below).
Foulkes was last seen as "No More Mr. Nice Girl," a campaign in which she ditched her pink summer dresses in favor of pink-and-black biker leathers. She zoomed around the country on a sports bike and in a helicopter to emphasize T-Mobile's coverage quality.
But in an ad posted on YouTube Feb. 25 (Foulkes' final appearance?) she disappears on her bike down a long city street, into the night.
Never to be seen again ...?
Here's the new cowboys ad:
And here's the Jones ad:
Finally, here's Foulkes' last appearance:
