That’s obviously not OK in today’s sanitary world where we have to keep our distance.
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We created an ad campaign around “that’s not right” moments and one of them was at a dinner party where a guest dipped his fingers into a queso bowl. It was called “finger-dipping” and was centered on people not believing you can get high-quality wireless for $15 a month. We ran an ad end of 2019 and it reached over in 2020. We play in the now, and we are very strategic and thoughtful in what we do with the brand, but that doesn’t mean the brand doesn’t make mistakes. That sounds like part of the fast-turnaround, quippy ad strategy Mint Mobile has going on. While maybe starting your own business isn’t the way to go, I think a lot of marketers need to be willing to push to keep the edges sharp and have programs that fail. I think this fear of failure equates into a failure of taking risks, so I’m a huge preacher of “fail all the time, fail fast, fail smart, fail forward.” We talk about it all the time in my organization because we know if we’re failing, that means we’re pushing the boundaries of what we’re used to. But I do like to say to everyone who comes to the team that I think, broadly, people are afraid of failing now, and that’s a really big miss for today’s young and more-seasoned marketers. No, because there are other things that can get in the way. The following conversation is taken from the podcast and has been edited for brevity and clarity.ĭo you think every marketer should start their own brand at some point? No matter the setback, he says he takes the lessons learned and applies them to every opportunity he gets. Despite getting distribution in restaurants like Benihana’s and PF Chang’s, it became too difficult to continue its growth. “When you have no money you have to get very creative, so that experience forced us to look at interesting ways to try to drive consumer appeal, and it was very hard,” North says. Between all that, North started his own premium cocktail mixer business, an experience he calls his “PhD in marketing.” Moving from established marketing and advertising giants to a brand new startup took gumption and ambition. Before coming to Mint Mobile, North was the director of advertising and branded content at Taco Bell and a VP at ad agency Y&R.
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North has first-hand experience in facing fear in his professional life. On the latest episode of the “Marketer’s Brief” podcast (listen above), North says he’s a “huge preacher” of failing because it means his team is pushing boundaries needed to break through the mold.
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But being smaller means it can also use its nimbleness and speed to quickly lean into cultural moments and produce ads and marketing messages that often go viral-in large part because brand owner Ryan Reynolds appears in many of the ads, and the actor uses his own social platforms to promote them, but also because they resonate.Īron North, chief marketing officer at Mint Mobile, says the key to success in creating viral moments and hopping on cultural conversations is embracing fear. As a challenger brand in the wireless telecommunications space, Mint Mobile faces stiff competition from giants like Verizon, T-Mobile and low-cost carriers like Cricket, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile.