Welcome to Ad Age Remotely, a streamed video segment focusing on the issues of the day.

In the past few years, Ryan Reynolds and his agency, Maximum Effort, have delivered a master class on how to quickly make ads that break into pop culture, generate laughs and—most importantly—deliver valuable consumer impressions for brands ranging from Peloton and Aviation Gin to Kraft Mac and Cheese.

On today's episode of Ad Age Remotely, we learn how Maximum Effort has spurred interest in Mint Mobile, the wireless brand in which Reynolds bought an ownership stake in late 2019. On the episode, Mint Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Aron North and Maximum Effort Co-Founder George Dewey share insights and marketing advice with Ad Age News Editor E.J. Schultz.

Mint positions itself as a challenger brand to “Big Wireless,” including Verizon and AT&T. Ads have poked fun at its competitors’ political lobbying by having Mint back a dog who happened to be the mayor of a California town. Earlier this year, Mint promoted the fact that its prices were staying the same despite rising inflation by striking an unlikely partnership with AriZona Iced Tea and its founder, Don Vultaggio.

North and Dewey describe working with Reynolds and share insights on how they quickly turn around ads that plug into trending topics. We also discuss their social media strategy, including how they are approaching Twitter in the Elon Musk era.