Watch Mint Mobile pitch new kids’ plan with a mini Ryan Reynolds

Mint Mobile is using a shrunken-down version of Ryan Reynolds to pitch its new phone plan for kids. The brand’s star endorser appears in a new ad in which he confronts a miniature, big-headed version of himself. In a high-pitched voice that gives big-Reynolds the creeps, mini-Reynolds states it’s “a perfectly-sized plan so I can’t get into too much trouble.” The spot will run on linear TV, streaming platforms and YouTube, directing viewers to a landing page showing available kids’ plans. Reynolds-backed agency Maximum Effort wrote, shot and edited the spot while Mint Mobile’s in-house agency Full Bars built the landing page and wrote messaging for parents. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Mint Kids mirrors the brand’s other plans by offering unlimited talk and text, plus data for $15 per month for the first three months. Monthly prices then rise to different rates depending on the length of the plan and the data it offers. The key difference between Mint Kids and the brand’s other plans is the ability for parents to monitor their child’s data usage and receive all communications, including alerts about the account. It is designed for people ages 17 and under, according to Mint. Kids’ phone plans aren’t entirely new, though features that allow parents to monitor their children’s phone use are often wrapped up in family plans these days. In 2019, Verizon launched Just Kids—a plan that included five gigabytes of data with unlimited talk and text, but with the added ability for parents to dictate the 20 contacts those texts and calls can go to. Parents could track their kids’ location, limit their time spent online and set content filters. Verizon has since discontinued that plan and rolled parental controls into its Verizon Family app, which launched in October. AT&T offers parents a Secure Family app for controlling their child’s device usage. Mint Kids is not tied to a family plan, however, allowing parents to sign their kids up regardless of their provider. “A growing number of parents tell us they want their kids to have a phone for safety reasons and so they can communicate with them throughout the day,” a brand spokesperson said. “That’s why we developed Mint Kids, to give families an affordable option that meets their child’s needs while keeping parents in control.” In February, Mint Mobile released an ad to promote its senior plan for customers aged 55 and older. Much like Mint Kids, the senior plan mirrored the brand’s standard five-gigabyte data plan. Speaking at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando last week, Mint Chief Marketing Officer Aron North shared that marketing around the senior plan was surprisingly successful. “This value prop sings to the 55-plus community,” he said. “It’s become our fastest growing segment within our business and we continue to double down and optimize to continue the growth there.” Reynolds was a part owner of Mint Mobile until T-Mobile acquired the budget-focused brand in a $1.35 billion deal that closed earlier this year.

Watch Mint Mobile pitch new kids’ plan with a mini Ryan Reynolds

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