Boost Mobile (Australia)

Boost Mobile is an Australian mobile virtual network operator which offers wireless services on the Telstra network.

History
Boost Mobile was founded by Peter Adderton in Sydney, Australia in 2000. Optus began licensing the Boost Mobile brand that same year.

In 2012, Optus ended its business relationship with Boost; they subsequently switched resell access to the Telstra network, with Telstra reportedly "looking to chase the youth market". In January 2013, all existing Boost customers were converted to Optus customers and continued to receive services on the Optus network. That March, Boost Tel began to offer products and services under the Boost Pre-paid Mobile brand as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) hosted on the Telstra Next G network. It is the only Telstra MVNO with access to the full Telstra mobile network across regional/rural Australia.

Marketing
Boost has consistently marketed itself through sponsorship and promotion of sporting events, and lifestyle-oriented marketing primarily through social media. The company has continued to target its brand and products at younger demographics; "Since Boost Mobile began in August 2000, we’ve been focused on keeping Aussie youth connected."

In 2018, Boost Mobile formed a partnership with the American-based Stadium Super Trucks to grow the series' presence in Australia. The following year, after the series and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport reached a three-year commercial rights agreement, the series was branded the Boost Mobile Super Trucks for Australian races.

In 2019, Boost Mobile was the naming-rights sponsor of Garry Rogers Motorsport in the Australian Supercars Championship. In 2020 and 2021, Boost Mobile sponsored James Courtney in a Tickford Racing Ford Mustang. In 2021 it also sponsored Brodie Kostecki in an Erebus Motorsport Holden Commodore ZB.

In 2022, Boost Mobile will become the naming-rights sponsor of both Erebus Motorsport Commodores. That sponsorship lasted only one season.

Marketing criticism
In June 2010, Boost Mobile launched a viral marketing campaign that purported to identify text messaging disorders in order to bring attention to Boost Mobile's offer of 100 texts for one dollar. Australian television programme Media Watch criticized both the campaign itself and certain Australian media outlets that had failed to uncover the underlying marketing campaign, reporting the disorders as straight news. The Age was one of the few publications to recognise that the campaign was a "ruse ... to get the company's name mentioned in the media." As part of the campaign Boost Mobile cited an academic paper co-authored by Dr. Shari Walsh of the Queensland University of Technology. However, Dr. Walsh stated that her paper did not identify any texting disorders and that Boost Mobile was not accurately representing her research.