Dive Brief: 

• Wireless carrier Boost Mobile has unveiled a national advertising campaign and brand repositioning timed to the introduction of its new 5G Boost Mobile Network, per details shared with Marketing Dive. 
• Key to the announcement is the unification of prepaid and postpaid services Boost Mobile and Boost Infinite, respectively, under a single Boost Mobile brand. The effort includes a new visual identity, including a new logo, that emphasizes an “infinite commitment to progress.” 
• The effort is being supported by a comedic ad campaign, "We Built a Network,” made with new agency-of-record WorkInProgress. The campaign will feature TV, digital and out-of-home ads and is meant to highlight Boost Mobile’s commitment to value.

Dive Insight:

The irony of consolidation is that it often presents opportunities for others. Initially, the pre-paid brand of Sprint, Boost Mobile, was sold off to Dish Network and Echostar when its parent company merged with T-Mobile, thus helping create the big three wireless landscape of today. Still, as an independent company, Boost Mobile has the opportunity to challenge its former parent and its rivals as a fresh wireless offering. With its latest move, Boost Mobile becomes the only carrier with both prepaid and postpaid mobile service under one name, per release details. 

“There is too much complexity in the wireless market today. Boost Mobile is simplifying its digital purchasing experience and offerings to give consumers more flexibility and choice with unbelievable value,” said Hamid Akhavan, CEO and president of EchoStar, Boost Mobile’s parent company, in release details.

Along with combining its services under a single brand, Boost Mobile is also emphasizing value and flexibility with a new simplified price model with four unlimited 5G plans starting at $25 along with a 30-day money back guarantee for new switchers. The repositioned brand includes a new Boost Mobile logo, which replaces the “ramps” of its previous logo with an “infinity” symbol meant to symbolize an “infinite commitment to progress.” 

Supporting the new brand is Boost’s “We Built a Network” campaign, which humorously depicts a group of employees who built the company’s 5G network and are looking for ways to get the message out to consumers. In one spot, an employee is seen questioning the network, asking whether it has become “a major network” with “5G towers” that cover 99% of the country. When another employee asks what the remaining one percent is, a colleague quickly responds, “Your mother’s house.”

Other spots show the employees searching for ways to get the message out to the public. In one case, an employee is confused that the $25-per-month Unlimited plan is for everyone and not just an employee-pricing scheme. Another shows a young man confusing the terms “risky” and “risk-free” and then getting bitten by a venomous sake.

The campaign, developed by WorkInProgress, will begin running on July 23 and last through September and will be supported by online video, connected TV, social and audio/podcast elements. A splashy campaign could help Boost Mobile stand its own against its major competitors Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

“As the first new network in 20 years, we’re coming in to challenge the big three,” said Katie Flynn, vice president of brand marketing at Boost Mobile. “But with that comes low awareness and the need to create a bold, memorable brand campaign to stand out in a crowded category.”

The telecom industry is shifting as it resettles after a wave of consolidations and mergers. Earlier this month, Verizon’s prepaid brand, Total by Verizon, rebranded as Total Wireless to better distinguish from other carriers within the prepaid wireless market. The rebrand, which includes a new logo and color palette, is intended to highlight the company’s value propositions like a five-year price guarantee and free 5G phones. Similarly, Verizon revamped its brand with a new visual identity and ad push that harkens back to the once-ubiquitous “Can You Hear Me Now?” campaign.