Humans are using apps to do their dating, order food via apps, book entire vacations via apps. The only thing they still do in a brick-and-mortar store is buy their mobile phone tariff. Seriously? This innovation is about a new telco brand with a digital-only approach.

A new telco brand is to conquer the discount market. The challenge: It lacks pretty much all the requirements that make the competition successful. No brick-and-mortar presence, no hotline sales force, no plan options, no price promotions. Just one flat that can be signed up for and managed entirely via app. Oh, and almost forgotten: The brand has 0,2% of the telco market's annual ad spend to make it fly.

What we did? "Be frank” about it:

This is an actual extract from our brand story:

“Yes, we want to sell you something.

No, it will not change your life.

Yes, 4 GB and Allnet Flat purely digital via app.

No, no "everything you always wanted" promises.

No annoying hotline calls or tariff extras.

Why? Because most people just don't need it.

They just want our product to work.”

To “be frank” we started with the brand name: frank. (Okay, “fraenk” so the Germans know, how to pronounce it.). We made “fraenk” a one-word-brand-identity – an innovation with the approach to reduce everything to pure functionality.

How to create a mobile plan brand?

First, we came up with the idea.

This was in October 2019.

Next, we developed the actual value proposition.

This was in November 2019.

We then took the entire rest of the year to develop the brand strategy before we created the brand design in January 2020.

Based on that, we developed the core product – the app.

In addition, we worked on the website.

In April 2020 we came up with the first brand campaign, which launched together with the product, in the beginning of June 2020.

Done.

How do you choose and manage a mobile plan?

- Compare plans online

- Visit brick and mortar stores

- Call a hotline

- Optimize your plan

- Get extra fancy promotion deals

- Quit your plan three months before contract extension

Or choose fraenk.

Download the app, use PayPal, quit whenever you feel like it.

We wanted to generate learnings about who the eSIM will change the industry.

We wanted to understand how to market a mobile plan without spending Millions.

We wanted to conquer the discount market segment by getting rid of everything which is not needed for a good mobile plan.

Well, within the first eight months after launch, fraenk generated more sales than two competitor brands for mobile plan app in 12 months together.

After our fist brand campaign, brand search queries increased by 500%. One in 10 users came to the website through OOH advertising. Ad recall on Spotify was +40%. And yes, "true simplicity" also made sales: the install-to-order ratio was 15% above the industry average and only 5% of customers would not recommend fraenk to friends.