Ted Danson Shakes People Out of Their 'Carrier Cruise Control' for Consumer Cellular

Consumer Cellular offers the same fast nationwide coverage as Big Wireless but often does it for much less and with award-winning customer service. It's estimated that 30%-35% of people have never changed their carrier and about 60% say they aren’t in the market to change now. Yet most aren’t really satisfied with their current carrier – they are just stuck because they are too afraid to try the alternative.

CCI set out to use some important proof points, humour and their beloved spokesperson, Ted Danson to shake these people out of their “carrier cruise control.” There are four new spots created in partnership with Ted and creative shop and new AOR for Consumer Cellular, THE MAYOR.

THE MAYOR created the humorous campaign by using Ted as the intervention to people who need the extra nudge to break free from 50+carrier cruise control. The campaign shows consumers that they will get the same great coverage with Consumer Cellular as they would with the big wireless companies, only for way less money. 

The four spots titled ‘Tower’, ‘Dancin’ Danson’, ’House’, and ‘Robot’, each focus on a unique brand benefit to highlight Consumer Cellular’s difference and prompt action while calling out the ridiculousness of other carriers. 

The first spot to air, 'Towers', illustrates the truth that Consumer Cellular uses the exact same towers as big wireless, so you can count on the same coverage. This hero campaign spot shows Ted Danson operating an industrial lift, showing a new Consumer Cellular customer first hand the money-saving power of the towers, which conveniently leaves plenty of room in the budget for a Thai takeout lunch break.

“‘Carrier Cruise Control’ is real. Millions of people over 50 have stuck with their big wireless carrier since they got their first cell phone. Over the years, they’ve seen bills rise and customer service decline. They’re not happy, but many don’t realise we’re a great alternative. Some think a drop in their phone bill means a drop in their coverage, but that’s not the case with Consumer Cellular.” said Carter Nance, VP brand and creative strategy for Consumer Cellular. “We worked with THE MAYOR on a number of other projects and they got this brief and nailed the mission of effectively communicating our proof points with the right level of humour. The campaign was built to wake people up to our advantages and let Ted’s charm shine through. What’s really gratifying is Ted himself switched to Consumer Cellular and he loves it, which also adds authenticity to our message.” 

A continuation of the previous Ted Danson campaigns, THE MAYOR kept the humour and familiarity of Ted to connect with the unique life stage of the brand’s 50+ target audience but created work that does more to change brand perceptions and overcome barriers for Consumer Cellular.

This campaign is running across TV, OTT, and social. ‘Tower’ will run exclusively for the next month, with the three additional spots airing starting in early August. 

“THE MAYOR has been doing project work with Consumer Cellular since day one, so it goes without saying that I’m excited that we’ve taken our relationship to the next level. Now that we’re AOR, we can dig a little deeper into their business to push the work into new areas. This campaign with Ted Danson is just the beginning of a long relationship, and we can’t wait to show you what’s next. Lots of fun and smart stuff coming soon.” said Tom Hamling, founder and CCO of THE MAYOR.

This is the first brand work for THE MAYOR as Consumer Cellular’s creative AOR. The wireless brand was an inaugural client of THE MAYOR, which opened up shop in Nashville in 2022. THE MAYOR team started with project work in 2023 and was recently awarded full creative AOR in March of this year. 

The newest campaign complements THE MAYOR’s previous efforts supporting Consumer Cellular’s NASCAR partnership as well as other broadcast and activation work including ‘Shot on Flip Phone’, which launched a few months ago.