Mint Mobile is working hard to distinguish itself as a brand for the people by letting the world in on one big secret: The average American only uses 6 GB of data a month, which means we’re paying for a whole lot of stuff that we don’t use.
In perfectly awkward promotion introducing Mint’s unlimited plan back in September, majority owner Ryan Reynolds recruited the beloved Rick Moranis, whose role was simply to appear in the ad because Reynolds is a “huge fan.” As part of the same promotion, Reynolds also tried to get us to crack a smile by tracking down Paul Revere’s great-great-great-great-granddaughter, as well as 2019 Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson, for some more dry humor bits.
A new ad, released today, reveals an Easter egg in these three ads: It shows that Mint secretly inserted an almost imperceptible letter “N” within the words “unlimited plan” to make it “unliMINTed plan.” (Seriously, watch closely to see the tiny “N.”)
While Mint’s larger rivals may emphasize excessive data plans to increase revenue, Reynolds aims to set his brand apart. He attempts to do this by promising that Mint customers will never overpay—at least not under his watch.
Customers can still opt for Mint Mobile’s standard Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data plan for $30 per month. In addition, they will soon receive an overview of their usage before each payment is due. That statement will be accompanied by recommendations for how to downgrade accordingly.
Customers have praised Reynolds and Mint’s transparency on social media, as well as the tone of the company’s advertising and customer service as a breath of fresh air.
In the past few months, Reynolds has worked to make the wireless industry more user-friendly by releasing light-hearted spots that put complicated concepts into simpler terms. In October, Reynolds brought in Mint Mobile’s head of technology to give users a lesson on 5G after admitting that he doesn’t actually understand it himself.
Reynolds also poked fun at “big wireless” companies in a July spot for Mint. That ad took aim at wireless brands’ stadium sponsorships and how the huge marketing cost must trickle down to consumers.