Tello Mobile has launched its first TV ad campaign, BestMVNO has learned. A total of two ads were launched in February. It is not clear how many times either ad has aired, but according to iSpot, the ads launched two days apart. One ad, titled "Set Your Mobile Free" began airing around February 13, 2024. The other, "Five Star Phone Service" first appeared on iSpot on February 16, 2024.
The "Set Your Mobile Free" ad targets young adults. It features a small gathering of people, one of whom arrives late because their mom forgot to renew their phone plan 'again.' The others are surprised that the latecomer is still on their parents' phone plan and they inform him that it's time he switches to Tello Mobile. Tello's affordable pricing, with plans ranging from $5 to $25 per month, is highlighted. The ad may also be taking an indirect dig at Mint Mobile by stating that 'No Bulk Buying' is required for the pricing. But more on this later. You can watch the ad below.
Tello Mobile's other ad takes a different approach. It targets a broader audience, not just young adults. Viewers are told that Tello offers 5-star phone service with a half-priced phone bill. It isn't depicted in the ad where their 5-star rating comes from, but Tello likes to frequently tout its Trustpilot reviews where it has a 4.6 out of 5-star rating. The ad highlights that you can get an unlimited everything plan for just $25/month on the same 4G LTE/5G network that you are used to. For contractual reasons, Tello Mobile cannot name the network it uses for coverage, but it is known to be a T-Mobile MVNO. You can watch the ad below.
Tello Mobile Is No Stranger To Video Advertising
Tello is no stranger to running video ads, with numerous streaming ads traditionally featured on their YouTube channel. For example, the TV ad shown above has been streamed over 1 Million times on YouTube since it was uploaded three months ago. Tello's YouTube channel has just 6.31k subscribers.
More recently, Tello's YouTube channel has uploaded three new videos. It's unclear whether the company will invest significant marketing efforts into these new uploads as they have with previous ones. As of this writing, the videos, which were launched yesterday, have collectively been viewed only 80 times.
The three new videos are variations of the same ad, edited for different durations: 30 seconds, 15 seconds, and 7 seconds. We'll look at the 15-second cut which I find particularly interesting. It highlights a major industry trend, a shift towards annual plans, no doubt inspired by the success of Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile has grown to 2 million subscribers and is set to be acquired by T-Mobile for up to $1.35 billion, pending regulatory approval.
The ad starts by asking "they made prepaid the new contract?" The ad continues with a mention that you don't need to pay in advance to lock in crazy affordable deals with Tello. A sign with the words "annual contract" is shown while the voiceover takes place. Tello Mobile's $25/month unlimited plan (with 35GB of 5G data) is then touted. Viewers are told they can learn more by visiting the Tello website. You can watch the video below.
I agree with Tello's claim. Annual plans are contracts that lock you in for a year. Although you can leave before the year is up, you can't get a refund for unused time. Consider that your early termination fee.
Tello Mobile was launched in 2015. In 2020 they announced that they had crossed the 100k subscriber threshold. Tello Mobile hasn't publicly stated a subscriber count since then, but their app has now been downloaded over 100k times in the Google Play store. Given the number of times their app has been downloaded, and their willingness to now spend on TV advertising, I wouldn't be surprised if Tello has grown to 300k+ subscribers.