Sprint's Framily plan may sound funny, but the company was quite serious when discussing its potential. Framily is the wireless carrier's friends and family program, in which the discount increases with each additional member. It is also Sprint's best weapon against the aggressive pricing and promotional offers doled out by the likes of AT&T and T-Mobile, which caused the company to again post customer losses in the March quarter. Despite the continued defections, Hesse was high on Framily. "Framily has a lot of legs," Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said during an investor conference call on Tuesday. "Today will just be beginning of what you'll be seeing moving forward in terms of leveraging it as a marketing and innovation platform. Hesse teased potential changes and additions to Framily, which Sprint will unveiled at an event planned for later today. CNET will provide live updates from the press conference. Hesse called Framily "the company's fastest growing rate plan on record," having added 1 million customers in less than 40 days. Framily, however, wasn't enough to turn things around for Sprint in the first quarter. The company lost nearly half a million customers in the period, although it managed to narrow its losses. Hesse said he expects growth to return with post-paid customers -- or higher credit customers who sign up for contracts and are deemed the most lucrative in the industry -- in the second half as its network improvements begin to wrap up. Smartphone customer growth a concern Perhaps more worrisome is the fact that what customers it did add largely purchased tablets. Sprint Chief Financial Officer Joe Euteneuer disclosed on the call that the company added 516,000 tablets in the period, a surprisingly strong number. Yet if you strip out the tablets, the number of phone subscribers fell by almost 750,000. "Sprint hasn't lost that many post-paid phone subscribers since mid-2009 (excluding the quarter in which it shut down its Nextel network), and they have never lost that many 'Sprint Platform' phone subscribers," said New Street Research Jonathan Chaplin. While Sprint continues to plead for patience and argues that customer growth will return once more of the network gets upgraded, Chaplin noted that despite the recent improvements, the customer metrics seem to be getting worse. When asked about Sprint's potential response to the competition, Hesse would only say, "More to come." He acknowledged that it was critical to get its network improvements completed, and said that would play more into the marketing message as time goes on. Hesse seemed particularly confident in Framily, and while he confirmed there wouldn't be a rate cut announced today, he sounded like today's announcement was just the beginning. "There's a lot we can do with it," he said.

However, now the famous fast-food clown is back in the spotlight, and everything seems right in his world.

McDonald's re-introduced Ronald on Wednesday, stating that he is "setting out on a global mission to rally the public through inspiring events."
I'm sort of hoping this involves feats of strength, motorcycles, and explosions. And maybe some AC/DC.
But probably not.
Either way, good for him. It's hard to find honest work, especially when your LinkedIn skills include applying heavy makeup and crying yourself to sleep.
Of course, Ronald McDonald, who's been the face of the company since 1963, is more than just a clown who goes on global missions. Because behind all that face paint lies a ruthless hamburger kingpin with a never-say-die attitude, capable of striking fear into his trembling sales team.
"Put that McCafe Coffee down! McCafe coffee's for closers only."
Yes, some may criticize Ronald for being too influential, as he entices kids to eat unhealthy fast food. I don't know the exact psychology behind it, but, presumably, it works like this:
"Hey kids, look at the funny clown. Wee! How 'bout a Happy Meal?"
And I'm OK with that. They're overseeing a restaurant business. It's not like McDonald's is a tattoo parlor.
"Hey kids, look at the funny clown. Wee! How 'bout a koi fish on your neck?"
So, he's a hamburger salesman. Big deal. A little diabetes never hurt anyone.
But as major companies move forward with trends in society, sometimes even cultural icons need a dramatic makeover.
So, a major part of the big rollout was some new, updated clothes. And when you're talking about the one and only Ronald McDonald, that requires strategy and careful planning.
You can't just throw this guy in a car and drive him down to Old Navy.
"Here's 50 bucks. Go nuts."
I mean, the man is a legend. He deserves only the best.
Which is why Ronald's new wardrobe was created by Ann Hould-Ward, an accomplished theatrical designer who won a Tony Award for "Beauty and the Beast."
That said, it's entirely possible that the marketing team simply threw Ann in a car and drove HER down to Old Navy, because Ronald's new getup includes cargo pants and a technical vest, as well as a red and white striped long-sleeve rugby shirt.
Your Old Navy basics.
Though, in all fairness, it looks OK. Somehow, Ronald does sort of come off as fairly modern and relaxed, like a 20-something heading out to see the Dave Matthews Band.
Still, it's worth noting that, amongst all these major changes, his iconic giant red shoes haven't. And he also now has a "whimsical" new blazer for special occasions.
Say, perhaps, a bris.
"Nice work, Rabbi."
"Thanks, Clown."
But it wasn't just a wardrobe makeover. When McDonald's revealed Ronald 2014 to the world this week, the company also shared a new mission: Fun makes great things happen.
The idea, McDonald's says, is that moments of fun and enjoyment bring out the simple pleasures in life and can lead to acts of goodness.
And it's true.
The other day I walked out my house without pants. Next thing you know I'm volunteering at a bake sale.
It feels nice to give back to the community.
Beyond his updated clothes and new personal mission handed down from the Filet-O-Fish gods, what's most fun about this whole new and improved Ronald is that now he's even taking on social media. In fact, Ronald's actually been given the password for the official McDonald's Twitter account.
That's a lot of trust for a guy who hangs out with somebody named The Hamburglar.
While Ronald won't actually have his own personal Twitter handle, he has been authorized to use his full name as a hashtag, marking the first time he's taken an active part in the company's social media strategy.
Really, the whole thing seems perfectly harmless. At least until he comes home buzzed after a Tinder date.
"Boom! Two words. BIG MAC. #RonaldMcDonald #Legendary"

Ask anyone with questionable morals: Fun makes great things happen!

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