T-Mobile US, Inc., commonly shortened to T-Mobile, is a United States-based wireless network operator whose majority shareholder is the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom (DT). Its headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, in the Seattle metropolitan area.
T-Mobile is currently the second-largest wireless carrier in the U.S., behind Verizon Wireless. Originally known as VoiceStream Wireless, the company was rebranded as T-Mobile in 2002 after Deutsche Telekom acquired VoiceStream in 2001. Over the past two decades, T-Mobile has grown to become one of the largest wireless service providers in America.
An important part of T-Mobile’s growth strategy has been its marketing efforts. Like all major companies, T-Mobile has a dedicated marketing department responsible for promoting its products and services. The head of this department is known as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). So who is currently serving as the CMO of T-Mobile?
Current T-Mobile CMO
The current Chief Marketing Officer at T-Mobile is Matt Staneff. He was appointed to this position in October 2018, after previously serving as the company’s Executive Vice President of Branded Products, Devices, and Accessories.
Prior to joining T-Mobile in 2016, Matt Staneff held senior marketing roles at a number of major technology companies. This includes positions at Microsoft, Blackberry, and Sprint. His experience spans brand management, product marketing, advertising, and customer retention/loyalty.
As Chief Marketing Officer, Matt Staneff oversees all aspects of T-Mobile’s marketing efforts in the United States. This encompasses areas such as:
- Brand strategy
- Advertising campaigns
- Product and service promotions
- Partnerships and sponsorships
- Customer acquisition and retention programs
- Market research
- Social media and digital marketing
Staneff leads a marketing team of hundreds of employees. He reports directly to T-Mobile US CEO Mike Sievert.
Tenure as CMO
As of October 2022, Matt Staneff has served as Chief Marketing Officer at T-Mobile for just over 4 years. He was appointed to the position in October 2018.
Staneff’s tenure has coincided with a period of strong growth and success for T-Mobile. Some key developments during his time as CMO include:
- The launch of nationwide 5G coverage
- Major expansion of the T-Mobile retail footprint
- Introduction of new unlimited data plans
- High-profile marketing campaigns featuring celebrities
- Surpassing AT&T to become the second largest wireless carrier
Staneff has overseen T-Mobile’s marketing efforts around these initiatives and more. By most accounts, he has done an effective job elevating T-Mobile’s brand and driving new customer growth.
Responsibilities and Impact as CMO
As CMO, Matt Staneff’s core responsibilities include:
- Setting the overall strategic direction for T-Mobile’s marketing efforts
- Leading brand messaging and positioning
- Overseeing the development of creative advertising and promotional campaigns
- Guiding product and service marketing
- Coordinating partnerships and sponsorships
- Analyzing market research and consumer insights
- Establishing marketing budgets and managing spend
- Hiring and leading the marketing team
Staneff has played a key role in some of T-Mobile’s most high-profile marketing initiatives over the past few years. For example, he led the development of the recent celebrity-driven “We Won’t Stop” campaign featuring prominent figures such as Dwayne Johnson, Ben Stiller, and John Legere. The highly popular ads helped highlight T-Mobile’s 5G network expansion.
Under Staneff’s leadership, T-Mobile marketing has also embraced bold and unconventional tactics to differentiate the brand. Pop-up stores, high-energy product launches, and viral social media engagement represent the dynamic marketing style Staneff has helped instill.
This creative marketing has strengthened affinity for the T-Mobile brand and supported the addition of millions of new customers. Staneff’s impact as CMO can clearly be seen in the company’s recent commercial success.
Other T-Mobile Marketing Executives
While Matt Staneff leads marketing across T-Mobile as a whole, the company also has other senior marketing executives responsible for key segments:
Janice Kapner – Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications and Brand
Kapner oversees all aspects of communications and brand marketing, including external and internal communications, experiential marketing, and creative campaigns.
Peter DeLuca – Senior Vice President of Brand and Advertising
DeLuca leads the teams responsible for developing T-Mobile’s advertising campaigns and brand platform.
Shelby Notkin – Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing
Notkin heads up retail marketing efforts for T-Mobile stores, including merchandising, promotions, and local marketing.
Mishka Dehghan – Vice President of Product Marketing and Innovation
Dehghan guides go-to-market planning and messaging for T-Mobile’s device portfolio and technology platforms like 5G.
These executives work closely with Matt Staneff to execute T-Mobile’s marketing game plan across all channels.
Prior T-Mobile CMOs
Matt Staneff succeeded Andrew Sherrard, who served as T-Mobile’s CMO from January 2015 until October 2018. Sherrard has held top marketing roles at companies like Dell and American Express.
Other previous CMOs for T-Mobile include:
- Bill Frain – CMO from 2005 to 2009
- Brian Groucutt – CMO from 2009 to 2013
- Michael Katz – CMO from 2013 to 2015
Each of these individuals helped move the brand forward during key phases of the company’s market expansion and competitive battles with AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.
Conclusion
Matt Staneff has successfully led T-Mobile’s marketing efforts as CMO since late 2018. He has extensive prior experience in the technology and telecom industries. Staneff has overseen high-profile campaigns that have strengthened T-Mobile’s brand positioning as a disruptive Un-carrier in wireless.
Creative and unconventional marketing tactics have been a hallmark of Staneff’s tenure. This has supported T-Mobile’s strong customer growth in recent years. While Staneff heads up marketing across the organization, T-Mobile also has other specialized marketing executives driving key initiatives.
With his deep industry background and marketing leadership, Matt Staneff seems well-positioned to continue elevating T-Mobile’s brand and driving future success as Chief Marketing Officer.
