The Proposal: Can Mint Mobile’s Marketing Make Consumers Say “I Do”?
How effective is Mint Mobile’s humor in gaining customers?
It’s been a rough couple of years for Telecom consumers. Inflation caused many industries, including Telecom providers, to increase their prices. The nation’s largest mobile carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, raised the cost of their older plans at least once since 2023, citing inflation and lower consumer spending on newer smartphones.
Mint Mobile, famously represented by actor and ex-owner Ryan Reynolds, lampoons what Reynolds calls “big network” by showcasing how Mint Mobile does the opposite of what the largest carriers do. Most recently, this included releasing ads announcing price cuts while other networks raised them.
Here at Grow Progress, we wanted to measure the effectiveness of Mint Mobile’s unconventional and humorous marketing strategies for potential customers. Using our Rapid Message Test tool, we tested two recent Mint Mobile ads centered around lowered monthly pricing to measure their effect on brand favorability, enjoyment, and consideration for purchasing.
One ad, “Record Deflation,” showed Reynolds standing in front of a green screen in Mint Mobile’s signature style, contrasting Mint Mobile against Verizon regarding inflation.
The second ad, “CoMINTment,” showed The Hills stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt talking about how communication is the key to their marriage and how Mint Mobile’s lower pricing facilitates that.
Final data showing how the ads affected brand favorability, enjoyment, and consideration for purchasing.
The Results
To measure their effect, we launched a Rapid Message Test to an audience of 600 respondents. Grow Progress’ Rapid Message Tests use randomized controlled trials (RCTs) modeled on medical trials, the premier standard in message testing.
First, we randomly assigned each respondent to one of three groups. Then each group viewed one ad (CoMINTment, Record Deflation, or a placebo message) and answered the same three questions. In less than 24 hours, we had results.
How favorable or unfavorable is your opinion of Mint Mobile?
People in the placebo group rated Mint Mobile’s favorability at 39%. Both ads increased favorability, but the “Record Deflation” ad increased that by 33 percentage points, more than doubling the increase compared to “CoMINTment.”
How much do you agree or disagree that the ad was enjoyable to watch?
Overall, respondents found both ads to be enjoyable. Yet, 75% of the people felt that the “Record Deflation” ad was enjoyable to watch while 60% felt the same for “CoMINTment.”
How likely are you to consider using Mint Mobile as a mobile carrier?
Reynold’s “Record Deflation” ad, which contrasts Mint mobile and Verizon, once more outperformed the “CoMINTment” ad. “Record Deflation” increased the likelihood of persuading respondents to consider Mint Mobile by 19 percentage points, the only measurable persuasive effect.
Resonating with Men versus Women
Looking further at subgroups, some results changed depending on gender. Overall, men reported higher favorability and enjoyment of both ads than women. For example, Reynolds’ “Record Deflation” ad increased favorability to 84% among men, while “CoMINTment” increased it to 60%. Among women, favorability increased to 63% and 47% respectively.
However, when we look at the critical question of considering Mint Mobile as a mobile carrier, there weren’t significant gender differences.
The Takeaway
Overall, Reynolds’ “Record Deflation” ad was far more effective than “CoMINTment” across all three success questions. It improved favorability for Mint Mobile by 33 percentage points versus 19 for CoMINTment, increased the likelihood of considering Mint Mobile by 19 percentage points versus 7, and 75% of people found the ad enjoyable versus 60% for CoMINTment.
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