What does the Sprint brand stand for?" questioned Ran Mikulecky, managing partner of Sullivan Higdon & Sink Inc., which has an office in Kansas City. "When people think of Apple, they think of innovation, the latest technology. Sprint needs to think more like Apple, he said. On Jan. 24, Sprint Nextel announced Chief Marketing Officer Tim Kelly and Mark Angelino, president of sales and distribution, were leaving the company. Sprint also has announced 4,000 layoffs, the elimination of more than 4,000 third-party distribution points and the closing of 125 retail stores. "I think Sprint is in a situation where their brand has changed over the years, partly because of the merger with Nextel, and there are certain expectations that went along with that that were fulfilled and were not fulfilled," said Mikulecky, who once counted Birch Telecom Inc. among his clientele. Report