Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile, LLC
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTelecommunications
FoundedAugust 7, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-08-07)
FounderDavid Glickman[1]
HeadquartersCosta Mesa, California, U.S.
Key people
David Glickman (CEO)
Rizwan Kassim (Managing Partner)
Ryan Reynolds (former shareholder and current marketing consultant/spokesperson)
ServicesMobile virtual network operator
RevenueOver $100 million[2]
ParentT-Mobile US
Websitewww.mintmobile.com

Mint Mobile, LLC is a mobile virtual network operator owned by T-Mobile US that offers prepaid mobile phone plans.

History

The company was founded in 2015 as Mint SIM, a subsidiary of Ultra Mobile, by David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim.[3]

In November 2019, the corporate spin-off of Mint Mobile from Ultra Mobile was completed[4] and Ryan Reynolds acquired 25% ownership in the company.[5][6] Reynolds and founder Glickman had both served on the board of directors for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Glickman was impressed with Reynolds' marketing for Deadpool.[2]

For Super Bowl LIII in 2019, Mint Mobile aired an ad featuring a fictional advertisement for "chunky style milk", showing a family happily drinking spoiled milk, with the company's anthropomorphic fox mascot comparing it to paying too much for wireless.[7] The ad was controversial due to the gross nature of its subject material. Eric Nathan of Barstool Sports commented "Show me people drinking chunky milk and I'll show you me not buying your product ever."[8]

Aron North, senior vice president of marketing and creative for Mint Mobile, when asked about the reaction towards the ad, said “We expected a reaction. I think this strong of a reaction maybe not. But the Super Bowl is a place where I feel like creativity or pushing the envelope is recognized by the audience and you’ve got to do something to really help yourself stand out”.[8]

The next year for Super Bowl LIV, Ryan Reynolds and Mint bought newspaper ads rather than ads for the game, which offered new subscribers 3 free months of service during the big game. Part of the ad read “On Sunday, some companies will spend over $5 million to advertise in a game so expensive I can’t even mention its name lest we summon an army of lawyers"[9]

In September 2020, the company launched an advertisement featuring the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Paul Revere.[10]

Since 2020, Mint Mobile has occasionally launched merch through Mint Underground, a merch store open for one day only whenever the site opens.[11] These include collaborations with Papershoot Cameras,[12] Champion,[13] and other brands. When the store is not active, it is inaccessible without a password.[14]

In January 2022, the company launched the "Winnie-the-Screwed" advertising campaign, the first major parody of Winnie-the-Pooh after it entered the public domain.[15][16]

In May 2024, T-Mobile US acquired Mint Mobile for $1.3 billion in cash and stock.[5][17][18] Reynolds received $300 million for his interest and remains in a creative role with the company.[5]

Awards and recognition

  • In 2021, Mint Mobile was named "the fastest growing company in America", and listed among the best places to work by American City Business Journals.[4][19]
  • Mint Mobile ranks as the "Best for Cheap Long-Term Plans" among mobile phone plans in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.[20]
  • Mint Mobile ranks "best for overall value" by TechRadar among mobile phone plans in the United States[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ White, Ronald D (February 5, 2017). "Ultra Mobile CEO David Glickman finds his calling". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ a b "David Glickman". Inc. September 1, 2021 – via PressReader.
  3. ^ "Ultra Mobile Tops Inc. 5000". American City Business Journals. August 13, 2015.
  4. ^ a b HOFFMAN, SUSAN (October 21, 2021). "Employee-centric Mint Mobile in Costa Mesa given accolades for workplace culture". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ a b c Novak, Matt (May 1, 2024). "T-Mobile just bought Mint Mobile for $1.3 billion — and Ryan Reynolds could clear a cool $300 million". Quartz. Gizmodo.
  6. ^ Gonzalez, Oscar (November 25, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds now owns Mint Mobile". CNET.
  7. ^ Monllos, Kristina (2019-02-01). "Mint Mobile's First Super Bowl Spot Shows People Drinking 'Chunky-Style Milk' and Might Make You Cringe". Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  8. ^ a b McCluskey, Megan (2019-02-04). "Mint Mobile Explains 'Chunky Style Milk Super Bowl Tactics". TIME. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  9. ^ Graham, Jefferson. "Super Bowl deal: Why actor Ryan Reynolds wants to give you 3 months of free wireless". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  10. ^ Lundstrom, Kathryn (September 9, 2020). "After Delighting Us With Rick Moranis, Ryan Reynolds Drops 2 More Mint Mobile Ads". AdWeek.
  11. ^ "Mint Mobile Underground Facebook post 2020". Facebook. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  12. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  13. ^ "Mint Mobile Instagram (5th picture)". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  14. ^ "Mint Underground". Mint Underground. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  15. ^ Cavna, Michael (2022-01-12). "'Winnie-the-Pooh' just entered the public domain. Here's what that means for fans". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  16. ^ Weisholtz, Drew (2022-01-03). "Ryan Reynolds' 'Winnie-the-Screwed' ad nails struggles of expensive phone bills". Today.
  17. ^ Roth, Emma (May 1, 2024). "T-Mobile owns Mint Mobile". The Verge.
  18. ^ "Mint and Ultra: Welcome to the T-Mobile Family!" (Press release). T-Mobile US. May 1, 2024.
  19. ^ "Ryan Reynolds - Building a Growing Business Empire and Becoming a Marketing Genius". Champions UK Plc.
  20. ^ Brooks, Onjeinika (July 20, 2022). "Best Cell Phone Plans of 2022". U.S. News & World Report.
  21. ^ "The best prepaid phone plans". TechRadar. March 2022.