UPDATE: See the full ad below.
EARLIER: T-Mobile girl Carly Foulkes abandons her famous pink summer dresses in favor of a black leather biker suit and a Ducati superbike in a new campaign for the wireless carrier (video below).
The new ads lead up to a relaunch of the brand in the fall, according to Peter DeLuca, T-Mobile's svp/ brand, advertising and communications.
Internally, ad agency Publicis is calling the spot "No More Mr. Nice Girl."
T-Mobile needs all the attention it can get: It recently laid off 1,900 call-center staff after CEO Philip Humm admitted that not being able to offer Apple's iPhone was killing its sales.
AT&T, which does carry iPhones, failed to acquire the company in recent months, leaving T-Mobile dependent on its 4G Android lines.
Foulkes is a huge piece of T-Mobile's brand equity—the former topless model has her own fanbase—and altering her image from girl-next-door to angry biker chick carries some risk. The company spent $517 million on ads featuring her last year, according to Ad Age.
(Foulkes has appeared in biker leathers in previous advertising, but those were also girly pink.)
DeLuca said in a statement:
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.
The campaign will specifically promote T-Mobile's 4G test-drive site.
Here's the commercial, in which Foulkes dismisses her frock-filled closet. The teaser is below that:
SEE ALSO:
T-Mobile Confesses: Not Having The iPhone Caused 1,900 Layoffs
VIDEO: Here Are T-Mobile Girl Carly Foulkes' Really Terrible Indie Film Shorts
Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook.