Sprint picks a Canadian media executive for its top marketing job

Sprint has chosen a Canadian broadcast executive to be its chief marketing officer.

Kevin Crull, who starts May 31, will oversee all products and services at Sprint, its brand and advertising, as well as customer acquisition and retention.

“As the industry shifts towards providing unique experiences and content to wireless customers, Kevin’s exceptional experience will allow him to be a great contributor in Sprint’s transformation journey,” Sprint chief executive Marcelo Claure said in the company’s announcement.

Crull has been chief operating officer and president at Bell Media, Canada’s largest media and broadcasting company. He led the company’s purchase of CTV Globemedia in 2010 and the acquisition of Astral Media two years later.

Sprint said Bell Media’s CTV network broadcast four of the top five Canadian-produced television programs.

Crull and his family plan to move to the Kansas City area. He will join others who have relocated from outside the United States to Sprint’s Overland Park headquarters.

Last month, Sprint hired Roger Solé, a telecom executive in Brazil, to lead its Hispanic business unit and its innovation efforts. Solé had been chief marketing officer of TIM Brasil, Telecom Italia’s wireless carrier in Brazil.

Sprint last year added Junichi Miyakawa as its technical chief operating officer. The new post was made for the executive from Sprint’s parent company, SoftBank, which is based in Tokyo and owns 80 percent of Sprint.

Crull succeeds Jeff Hallock, whose departure had been announced in November but who has remained in the top marketing post. Under Claure, Sprint has revamped its marketing campaign with a focus on low-price deals. Claure has said the company’s improving wireless network will gain a role in advertising in markets where it has advanced sufficiently.

Crull, before joining Bell Media, had been president of Bell Residential Services, Canada’s largest telecommunications company. It provides high-speed broadband, home phone, and satellite and fiber television services. Under Crull, the company launched Fibe TV, which is an Internet-based live television service that uses a fiber optic network to reach consumers.

Earlier, Crull had been with AT&T, where he led consumer and small-business sales and marketing. He also has worked at Nestle USA, rising from an entry-level job to the executive suite.

This story was originally published May 21, 2015 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Sprint picks a Canadian media executive for its top marketing job."