The influence of star power is moving into the MVNO segment. Movie stars, TV icons, and sports celebrities are looking to make significant investments in MVNOs, one which aids technology development, marketing, and public relations.
The Celebrity Gold Rush
Celebrities are making moves, and while some have already reached the 1% club, others are catching up fast!
Ryan Reynolds Mint Mobile Sale
Ryan Reynolds’ 25% stake in Mint Mobile just paid off. The second largest carrier in the US has acquired Mint Mobile’s parent company Ka’ena Corporation for $1.35 billion. The Deadpool actor earned roughly $337.5 million, with 61% in stock and 39% in cash.
The pitchman for Mint Mobile, Ryan Reynolds, successfully leveraged his 49 million Instagram and 21 million Twitter followers with witty ads.
Consumer Cellular and Ted Danson look to build a good place
Consumer Cellular roped in TV veteran Ted Danson to launch new plans and phones targeting baby boomers. Considering boomers make up 70% of the US population, the Cheers actor might be looking at a very lucrative ROI from this partnership.
“Consumer Cellular is a reliable and affordable brand that keeps its customers connected with loved ones and works hard to keep a loyal base with great customer service. I look forward to helping them reach even more future customers.”
– Ted Danson
Boost Mobile and NCAA athletes cashing in big
Boost Mobile is capitalizing on the new NCAA endorsement rule change that allows students to sign sponsorship deals. Almost 500 NCAA athletes are looking to sign up with the MVNO. These include Alabama State, Georgia, Baylor, Auburn, University of Minnesota, to name a few.
Moreover, professional athletes are also part of this deal, serving as mentors by helping the amateurs navigate the world of sponsorships and personal branding.
NCAA athletes like Marvin Mims Jr. use their MVNO partnership for immediate monetary gains while building their brand even before they enter the pros — sweetening those future sponsorship deals.
Larissa Manoela launches MVNO brand
The MVNO frenzy goes beyond the borders of America. Larissa Manoela, a Brazilian actress and influencer, launched her MVNO Lari Cel.
Lari Cel targets the younger segment, which makes up the bulk of Larissa’s fan base. The MVNO offers prepaid plans starting from BRL 25 per month. However, the focus is not to compete on price but make users feel part of a community.
Here’s one of their cheeky ads that got a lot of traction on social media.
Why Celebrities Should Invest in MVNOs
MVNOs allow celebrities to be part of something that is hyper-practical. Celebrities have a chance to engage with their fans in a meaningful way, at the same time, discover new followers they traditionally would not have been able to reach. An MVNO investment opens an array of opportunities for celebrities.
Expand personal brand
Celebrities use personal branding to remain relevant and increase their fan base. The stronger the brand, the more sphere of influence they possess. Engage with followers by marketing an MVNO service reflective of one’s personality. Imagine Dwayne Johnson endorsing MVNO services to athletes and gym rats as part of his overall sports and fitness empire.
Good PR
An MVNO ownership means you help improve the lives of different communities by driving the benefits of mobile services to low income families, SMBs, and other local entities. This transcends into positive discourse, providing you a good word of mouth.
Make some good side money
Why spend that hard-earned money on vacationing in the Bahamas or supporting your favorite charity? MVNO ownership have the potential to make you a good pot of easy money — a recurring revenue model that pays every month. Reinvest and sell the MVNO once it reaches maturity for a few million dollars. Sounds nice, eh!
Start Your MVNO Journey With Airespring
Airespring ensures you start your MVNO journey without any regrets.
The AireSpring Wireless team has the expertise and infrastructure to launch exciting new brands into MVNO. We truly understand the marketplace. With AireSpring, service providers can launch an MVNO in as little as 30 to 45 days using our cloud-based Light MVNO platform and brandable portal or separately access via APIs and then combine with a partnership with the best Mobile Network Operator in the US market.
We offer many plans and custom options, including unlimited talk and text, with many different data bundles. Our front-end tools provide a full range of brandable modules & CRM capabilities for customer care, payment gateway, taxation, eSIM platform, and an ILD VoIP to enhance international applications.