After the infamous attempted AT&T acquisition of T-Mobile (also known as the biggest failure in telecom in 2011), the latter has apparently been working on restoring its image in the eyes of consumers with a complete brand re-launch, due this fall. The first step - a new Carly. We know the old Carly in a magenta dress showing off her long legs, but the new Carly is going to turn into this bad-ass Ducati rider. Alter ego and all that jazz. Here, check it out:

I think the new direction is great - Carly in leather biker gear zooming down the streets of Magenta Town has "speed" written all over it (if you can call HSPA+ "speed" nowadays). What's not so great is this new Test Drive site they're advertising and pushing all over the place. I don't know about you, but this confuses the crap out of me:

That's it - just a whole lot of void and the words America's Largest 4G Network in the middle. You can't click it, nothing happens if you wait - this is it. To add insult to injury, the url actually mentions all of their major competitors by name: http://explore.t-mobile.com/verizon-att-sprint. What?..

Who decided this was a good idea, T-Mo? We love you, as the underdog, but you're not going to be recruiting many folks with giant empty sites. Good commercial, though.

Update: The full Test Drive site went live a few hours later. Much better. In the future, it'd be a good idea if the site launched first followed by the video, or at least simultaneously:

T-Mobile’s “Alter Ego”

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By: Peter DeLuca, T-Mobile senior vice president, brand, advertising and communications

Today, T-Mobile unveiled a new ad campaign that reveals another side of our popular brand ambassador, Carly. Carly has been a popular and highly recognizable spokesperson that personifies the T-Mobile brand, and was even voted one of 2011’s “best dressed” for her custom designed magenta frocks. With this new ad, there is a distinctive departure from our existing campaign. Her magenta summer dresses are replaced by motorcycle leathers and a 1000 cc Ducati superbike, which symbolizes the speed and capabilities of our 4G network.

Entitled “Alter Ego,” the ad is a metaphor for what T-Mobile is all about – challenging the status quo and taking bold steps in the marketplace as a challenger brand. The makeover from the girl-next-door to an edgier, more tech-savvy and spirited Carly is synonymous with the evolution of the T-Mobile brand as we continue to push the envelope with device and service innovation to deliver amazing 4G experiences at an affordable price.

This is the first in a series of ads that you’ll see over the next few months leading up to our brand re-launch this Fall. You can check it out here on YouTube …and, T-Mobile customers, feel free to watch it on the small screen over our 4G network.

Consumers can also check out our competitive 4G experience first-hand by visiting a new T-Mobile Test Drive. The Test Drive site lets consumers check out our amazing 4G experiences by comparing the speeds head-to-head with competitors against one of the latest 4G devices running on our network, whether it’s downloading an app or streaming a movie.

Enjoy!

Source: T-Mobile