Patriot Mobile, a smaller alternative to big wireless carriers, has been running ads across various outlets to help raise brand awareness and to champion its causes. This is notable because advertising in this space has largely and historically been reserved for major wireless carriers and their "big money" prepaid brands such as Cricket Wireless, Boost Mobile, and Metro-By-T-Mobile to name a few. Mostly because they have the money to be able to afford the advertising. A few other independent providers with subscriber counts numbering a million-plus or even well into the millions such as Consumer Cellular and Straight Talk Wireless also run ads across various outlets such as TV and radio. Most of the brands advertising heavily also sell their SIM kits and phones in major retail outlets like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy or through their own branded stores and dealers. But with Patriot Mobile, phones and SIM kits are only available exclusively online. Despite that limitation, the brand seems to generate enough revenue to be able to market its services through the use of radio, magazine, and other advertisements.
I recently reached out to a Patriot Mobile representative to gain more insight in regards to their recent advertising campaigns which have had an impact on web traffic at BestMVNO.com. That impact is what clued me in to the fact that they may be engaged in some sort of advertising campaign(s). This was further confirmed through online searches and through discussions with Wave7 Research's Principal Analyst, Jeff Moore. The Patriot Mobile representative declined to provide much detail about their marketing campaigns but did confirm that they do run national ads and do so all the time.
Patriot Mobile's Ad Campaigns
Patriot Mobile's marketing campaigns seem to be confined to radio, magazines, and Facebook/streaming TV. Last November, an on-air live read by Glenn Beck touted a free Moto Z3 offer from Patriot Mobile. It told viewers that every time they use their cell phone it's like a voting booth and every time it gets used it's a vote for open borders and gun confiscation because cell phone companies are donating part of your money towards those causes. The read-over then states that Patriot Mobile is different and is the nation's only conservative phone company. You can view the full ad below.
More recently, Wave7 Research reports that Patriot Mobile has been running 60-second radio ads pitching their offers of $45/month for a plan with 10GB of high-speed data and a $55/month unlimited plan. It should be noted that Patriot Mobile's unlimited plan has data speeds reduced after 22GB gets consumed during a billing cycle. Radio ads continue to air during Glenn Beck. Patriot Mobile even has a landing webpage setup for Glenn Beck listeners. It offers subscribers either a free phone, a free month of service or $45 off any phone with the use of the promo code STAND.
Wave7 Research also uncovered that Patriot Mobile advertises in American Rifleman magazine. An ad displayed in the magazine mentions a high customer satisfaction rate and a 15% discount for members of the National Rifle Association.
Added Jeff Moore, “Patriot Mobile is an MVNO that Wave7 Research does not encounter during checks, but there are few MVNOs that have radio advertising and Patriot Mobile is one of them.”
Patriot Mobile is an MVNO with a clear political agenda that runs on the Sprint network. The wireless provider looks to advance conservative causes. A portion of the revenue generated from every subscriber gets donated to various conservative institutions. A mission statement on the Patriot Mobile website reads that proceeds are donated to "organizations fighting for 1st & 2nd Amendment rights, Family Values, Small Government, Religious Freedom and Pro-Life."