T-Mobile is Giving Away Phones for Valentine’s Day

Perhaps they are confusing holidays, or maybe Cupid shot T-Mobile’s PR department in the rump.  Regardless of the reason, T-Mobile has decided to make all of their phones free for February 11 and 12, and they are calling it their Valentine’s Day deal.  The offer applies to all phones, even their fastest 4G smartphones.

By now you are probably wondering what the catch is, because T-Mobile would have to be crazy to give away smartphones and get nothing in return.  The catch, quite simply, is that you must ink a 2-year deal with the wireless carrier, which is something most smartphone buyers do anyway.  If you want to share the love with T-Mobile on Valentine’s Day, you will have to marry them first.  Some may also have to send a card in the form of a mail-in-rebate.

The goal of the promotion is to reach a larger market with their data plans.  Often times, people may be able to afford the monthly fee but cannot afford the initial cost of the phone, even at subsidized prices.  The potential backfire from this, however, is that people who can afford neither may opt for the free phone but be unable to make the monthly payments.

To help to T-Mobile spread the love, they have recruited reality TV star Khloe Kardashian to “spread the word about how using smartphones is the best way to keep in touch with loved ones and tell them how you feel about them.”

PR firms who work with T-Mobile USA are Shift Communications, Waggener Edstrom & Porter Novelli.