As part of an University of Washington Human Centered Design & Engineering course, HCDE 301 (Advanced Communication in HCDE), my team partnered with Mint Mobile for a quarter-long project focusing on improving their brand's communication strategy. Focusing on Mint Mobile's communication strategy, our team was tasked to uncover what type of communications strategy Mint Mobile should launch on Instagram to reinforce their key selling point of offering premium wireless for $15/month, as well as suggestions for unique Instagram trends/tactics that they should employ for their social media.
Timeframe
March - June 2022
Team
Key Contributions
Design Question
How might we employ a communications strategy on Mint Mobile's Instagram to reinforce their key selling point: offering premium wireless for only $15/month?
Research: Competitive Analysis & SWOT Analysis
Our team first did an analysis of Mint Mobile's current Instagram feed, comparing it with the feeds of competitors, such as T-Mobile and Verizon, to uncover areas of strength, weakness, opportunity, and threats.
Research: Surveys
Now that our team had a better understanding of areas for improvement regarding Mint Mobile's Instagram, we distributed a survey to get more insight on people's perceptions of companies with the best brand reputations, factors influencing brand reputation, and what motivates customers to switch mobile plans.
Verizon and T-Mobile were identified as highly reputable brands, whereas Mint Mobile received a lower ranking in terms of brand reputation.
The top reasons for a strong brand reputation included effective marketing strategies, public perception of the brand, and customer loyalty, with many respondents citing their long-standing loyalty to the brand as a significant factor.
Respondents called out high mobile plan costs and promotional deals as a driver behind their decision to switch mobile plans.
Ideation: HMW's
How might we expand on existing marketing strategies?
Explore how Mint Mobile can utilize IG features, such as reels and highlights, based on insights from our competitive analysis.
How might we increase customers' trust in online help?
Building trust will improve customer perception of Mint Mobile's brand.
How might we boost awareness of Mint Mobile?
Explore ways to increase awareness of Mint, based on survey results.
Ideation: Brainstorming & Sketching
Using our HMW's, we brainstormed and sketched some ideas of how to utilize reels and a Mintfluencer campaign to increase online engagement while building trust.
Brainstorm ideas
Sketches
Ideation: Design Requirements
Now that our team had a clearer project direction in mind, we formulated some design requirements to address the areas of improvement identified through our surveys and competitive analysis.
Cohesive Marketing
Emphasize Mint Mobile's color palette, unique mascot, and brand voice to strengthen the branding
Selling Point: $15/month
Highlight Mint Mobile's low price
Community Engagement
Showcase the positive experiences of real customers to create content aimed at fostering interaction with followers and potential customers
Using our design requirements, we designed a couple screens focusing on building a more cohesive brand identity through use of brand color and Mint Fox. Additionally, we wanted to highlight stories and experiences from real customers through a Mintfluencer campaign.
Iteration: Usability Testing
The lo-fi prototyped IG screens were then shared with a group of participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the new feed, looking at brand cohesiveness, engagement, visuals, and content.
Usability Test Finding #01
Feedback indicated that the new feed had cohesive branding. However, posts emphasizing the $15/month pricing appeared somewhat impersonal and overly sales-oriented.
Recommendation: Differentiate posts between targeted ads and company account on IG. Tie in more of Mint's witty and sarcastic brand personality in the feed.
Usability Test Finding #02
Some participants had confusion on the 'Mintfluencer' Campaign and how it was intended to boost follower engagement.
Recommendation: Share stories from real Mintfluencers to make the campaign more personable and increase engagement.
Usability Test Finding #03
Participants noticed that the majority of the feed was consisted of static content such as images and text, resulting in diverted attention span.
Recommendation: Utilize a variety of short-form content, such as more reels and videos, to make the feed more visually appealing and engaging.
Based on feedback from the usability testing, our team began working on adding more content to the feed by fleshing out the Mintfluencers campaign, adding reels and videos, and differentiating ads from regular posts. While my team members worked on the targeted ads, I focused on the Mintfluencers campaign.
Final Designs
Brand identity is established by utilizing Mint Mobile's unique mascot: Mint Fox. Mint's color palette is evident through usage of the Mint greens in the text and visuals throughout the feed.
Range of posts, from static images to videos and reels, help increase user engagement through unique and eye-catching visuals. Incorporating pop culture references can further add to the appeal.
Mintfluencers and #MintMonday is a personable way for real customers to share their experience being a part of the Mint Family. Other impactful methods of engagement comes from stories utilizing IG features such as polls, 'Type Something' forms, and 'Add Yours'.
