SMS in Marketing

Interactive Posters now get Bluetooth - Dec 7 2004

Mobile marketing technology company Hypertag has followed up its latest moves to turn outdoor posters into infra-red data points mobile phones with a Bluetooth version, reports Netimperative.

"Hypertag says this new version will allow posters to send passing views data such as video, and give marketers a new way of engaging consumers with outdoor campaigns.

The system could send vouchers, business cards, ringtones or games, offering a greater range of content than the low-bandwidth infra-red system."

Related billboards and SMS Marketing schemes:

-- Times Square Billboard Asks New Yorkers to Vote - An interactive billboard in Times Square served as a public forum for New Yorkers to debate, "What is beautiful?". As they cast their vote via cell-phone, a running tally appeared in real-time on the billboard and the website simultaneously.

-- Ford Fiesta ad campaign combines interactive billboards with SMS - Advertising Agency Ogilvy, in a European first, has launched a new ad campaign for the Ford Fiesta, combining interactive billboards with SMS.

-- Yahoo! Billboard Goes Live in Times Square - To promote its automotive Web site, Yahoo! and interactive shop R/GA have created a billboard that allows pedestrians to play a video game broadcast on part of the 23-stories-tall Reuters sign in Times Square here via their cell phones.

-- High Tech Billboard will respond to Text Messages - Coca-Cola unveiled one of the world's biggest and most sophisticated billboards, switched on in Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London. The 99-foot-wide neon colossus can respond to the weather and interact with people looking at it from the ground.

-- Cell Phones, Billboards Play Tag - Hypertag technology, enabling mobile users to point and click their cell phones at a movie poster and access digital content and Cool123 has a patent pending for a similar sounding interactive SMS service. enabling mobile users "to interact with advertising such as billboards, product packaging or other media strategies using keywords or codes".

New Marketing Techniques are Damaging Brands - Sept 18 2004

According to research by Cable & Wireless, conducted among 2,000 UK consumers focusing on the retail, travel and financial sectors, new marketing techniques such as text messaging are damaging consumer trust in brands, reports Brand Republic.

"Among the key findings were that unsolicited text messages were more than twice as likely to irritate their recipients than outbound telemarketing if received outside of working hours."

Text Messaging for Nightclubs - Sept 3 2004

With so many people carrying their mobile phones with them 24-hours a day - text message marketing is a hugely effective way to promote nightclubs, offers and promotions, according to More Mobile.

Text Messaging for Nightclubs is a dedicated mobile marketing company which offers campaigns to reach clubbers in the night.

"As many as 90% of clubbers carry a mobile phone, many use their handsets as an interactive tool and most of these respond positively to mobile marketing campaigns", says Jonathan Ratcliffe of Hype Marketing.

Hello, I'm on the Bus - and Texting for Pepsi - July 21 2004

Text message marketing came of age this week when Pepsi incorporated the burgeoning technique into its global marketing strategy, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

"SMS and MMS marketing is set to play a more prominent role in Pepsi's marketing as it attempts to involve younger consumers with its brand through mobile phone promotions.

The push in Australia and in South-East Asia came as Pepsi reported its highest response rate to a promotion - more than 10 per cent - with its current iPod every hour promotion, which has generated more than 500,000 entries from 4.5 million packs.

The promotion involved players sending a text message to enter a draw giving away a free iPod every hour"

Interactive ad campaign initiated by SMS - 7 July 2004

TheFeature.com picked up a fabulous story on E-Media Tidbits, on an interactive advertising campaign in Germany, which is initiated by SMS.

"A A gardening supply firm set up a billboard at a train station in Germany. With one simple SMS message, the billboard activates an automatic sprinkler system, potentially soaking anyone passing by.

This and other SMS-us-to-do-something advertising is apparently starting to catch on in some places. While the people getting soaked in this example case may not appreciate the result, it certainly is engaging for those sending the SMS."

India and SMS Marketing - April 19 2004

Realising the significance of this mode of marketing, Indian marketers are increasingly opting for mobile marketing techniques to connect with their target audienceódirectly. And with around 33 million subscribers in the country, the concept of mobile marketing is rapidly gaining momentum, observe new media analysts reports The Financial Express.

"For instance, Coca-Cola India is planning to launch an aggressive SMS-based campaign to promote its new launch ëCoke Vanillaí along with its mass media advertising plans within a few days."

SMS Limericks for St. Patrick's Day - February 7 2004

In a world first, a celebration of St Patricks' Day is being carried out as an SMS Marketing campaign.

According to Mike Grenville for 160characters.org, "a cross-carrier limerick contest for Murphy's Irish beers by SMS is is to run across the USA to coincide with St. Patrick's day.

The 'Take the Murphy's Challenge' campaign will be launched to coincide with St. Patrick's day on 17th March and calls on participants to complete the following limerick:

There is a young barmaid in Cork,
Who loves to serve Murphy's and pork,
When you enter her bar......

"The 10 most original conclusions to the limerick that are texted to short code 23000 will be posted on Star Brand Import's limerick page.

The text-in campaign will be publicized on 2,500 posters in liquor stores and 1000 banners in pubs, and printed on 250,000 collector cups that will be distributed on St. Patrick's Day in bars across America".

Smirnoff Launches SMS Campaign for New Drink «Twist» - Nov 6 2003

A recent text messaging campaign by Smirnoff helped to increase awareness of their new drink «Twist» in a fun and interactive manner and it also helped to break through the marketing clutter, reports Web.mid-day.

"Consumers were given a twisted word and they were supposed to untwist it and SMS the right answer, and the winners were entitled to various merchandise items".

In 2002, Smirnoff was credited with launching the largest-ever SMS opt-in marketing campaign, which incorporated a 'text and win' game where consumers receiving an immediate response telling them if they had won a prize.

Smirnoff sent out 175,000 text messages to young people who signed up in nightclubs throughout the UK and on their Website.

Virgin Mobile Introduces an Anti-hero Character to Advertise New Low Rate in Australia - Sep 29 2003

Virgin Mobile launched a campaign on TV, radio and newspaper featuring an anti-hero character called Warren, a lovable loser searching for love. In the ads, Warren in a key selling point in his quest for a date, makes the point that he is cheaper to text because of Virgin's new five cent text rate.

Viewers are encouraged to contact Warren who will send them an SMS in return.

Text messaging sent across Australia's network each day has soared to nearly 10 million a day, increasing by more than 1,000% since its introduction between carriers in April 2000. Five billion text messages are expected to be sent in 2004.

B&T Marketing & Media

SMS Forum calls SMS "Fifth Channel" for Advertising - Sep 13 2003

In an announcement that will make most people shudder, the SMS Forum has proclaimed that Short Messaging Services is considered the "fifth channel" for media advertising in North America. [RCR News]

"The ubiquitous and instant characteristics of this mobile media channel have firmly established it as the preferred method to reach the end user."

Though Marketers are only allowed to send text messages to mobile users who have opted-in (given their consent), mobile spam remains a legitimate concern.

Coke Reaches Consumers by Phone - Sep 8 2003

Switzerland has coke dispensing machines that allow you to buy a soda with your cell phone, but in Japan, the Coca-Cola company is sending text messages to Japanese consumers, urging them to purchase a beverage from one of hundreds of high-tech vending machines around the country.

The lure? Those who bought a can from one of Coke's machines that day or the next get a free download of a company ad jingle for their cellphone ring tone. Sales jumped 50% among those who received the message, according to the WSJ.

Car Makers Encouraged to Text Customers - July 3 2003

In a recent report by GartnerG2, car makers are encouraged to use text messaging to push both sales and aftersales services. "SMS offers car manufacturers and dealers a new way of interacting with their customers," according to Daren Siddall and Michael Dornan, interviewed in PC Advisor.

Case in point, last year in France, Mercedes launched a successful SMS campaign, sending text messages to 11,000 opt-in male individuals, suggesting they phone a call centre to make an appointment for a test drive of a new model C Class. 8,5% of the people contacted by SMS phoned the call center, reported Neteconomie.