Already on a Phone Screen Near You

Source: imediaconnection.com

ipsh!'s CEO provides examples of why you should consider a mobile marketing budget in your 2006 planning.

Close to 200 million people in the United States own cell phones, according to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, and they’re eager to test out their cool handsets today. They have already “texted in to win,” interacted with their favorite brands, let a friend in on the know, and purchased with the convenient push of a button. So what can we offer all these fidgety users right now? Probably more than you think.
Breakthrough '06

Building an anywhere, anytime customer communication list

Similar to the way brands have grown and maintained CRM databases for emailing customers, brand managers are starting to leverage the immediacy and ubiquitous nature of mobile for new databases. Such databases have been popular for charting videos on MTV’s “Total Request Live,” and for driving customers into retail outlets to purchase products.

Consumers who sign up for email and even snail mail change addresses often. Due to number portability, consumers are rarely changing cell phone numbers. This means that mobile information is gaining tremendous value over other forms of identity.

P2P -- Reach out and touch someone

Brand Strategy called last year’s launch of Elizabeth Arden’s Curious the most successful fragrance debut in the last five years. Tapping into the teen love affair with mobile phones, the company invited young consumers to submit their mobile phone numbers and a friend’s online to generate a voice message from pop idol Britney Spears, as well as information about the perfume launch. The promotion, which generated huge buzz and sales, shot Curious to the number one spot in U.S. department stores over the holiday season. Apparently Brittany had a lot more time to call people before she had her baby.

This P2P formula, because it allowed users to refer friends to the Curious campaign, created yet another layer of virtual distribution.

When two’s a crowd

Companies like McDonald’s are using interactive two-way text messaging and short code advertising as effective branding moves across all media. In its recent RUMAC text-in-to-win campaign, McDonald’s invited users to text in “Mac codes” printed on millions of Big Mac boxes nationwide for chances to win tickets to a House of Blues concert. During this campaign, according to AdAge, McDonald’s saw a three percent increase in Big Mac sales.

Shortcodes are sort of like website addresses for opt-in mobile campaigns. They are usually a five digit number like 12345 or word grouping like IPSH1 that correspond to numbers on the phone dialer.

Short codes can help companies measure the effectiveness of ads placed in traditional media. By featuring a short code in a commercial, a company can better assess the direct response of consumers by measuring how many texted in the featured short code for a chance to win cash and prizes.

Rock Txt-n’ Roll

Concert-goers at festivals are being offered unique prizes and giveaways directly to their cell phones. This summer, 30,000 music fans were offered a chance to win concert prizes at Lollapalooza, a large-scale touring festival in the United States featuring 60 artists performing on six stages. An astonishing 10 percent of the audience -- that's 3,000 people -- participated in the “Txt-n’-Win” campaign. The increase in audience participation, compared with previous years, is a strong indication that people want to extend their concert-going experience beyond listening to their favorite artists -- they want to play around with their cell phones.

Digital coupon book, scissors not required

Mobile users can also get discounts and coupons on everyday items without ever looking through their Sunday newspaper. Mcoupon, a coupon received through SMS that users can redeem at the cash register, eliminates the need to remember to clip or print a coupon, let alone remember to take it along. Case studies show that coupons retained on phones as text or bar codes realize up to a 10 percent redemption rate. One example is Capitol Records’ recording artist Chingy. Mobile coupons redeemed at Musicland (Sam Goody) locations nationwide for his new album, Powerballin’, realized a 10 percent return in February 2005.

In the store

Imagine texting in a UPC code for any product in a retail store and receiving real-time price comparisons, mobile coupons and recipes in grocery stores. Stop imagining, it’s happening right now!

No more lines at the movies

Another creative and effective tool for mobile users to try, and for marketers to drive up sales, is direct purchases via mobile phones. This direct purchase technique has successfully driven ticket sales for movies. Before a movie’s release, ad banners and movie websites invite users to sign up to receive show times and alerts. On the day of the release, all registered users receive a text message, which contains show times for their local movie theater as well as the option to purchase tickets from resellers such as Fandango. Users can also hear a short movie promo message. This technique is also highly effective for concerts and live events. Fans can sign up to receive alerts for their favorite band and potentially purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Mobisodes coming to a small screen near you

With live TV streaming starting to trickle in on select phones (Verizon’s VCAST), we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we can already send mass video to cell phones in what are called Mobisodes -- 15- to 30-second video clips sent to a handset from a website or in response to a short code.

Innovation works best with integration

The most successful mobile campaigns include integration with the mobile shortcode into print, online and broadcast. This strategy lets companies create a “surround sound” marketing environment that showcases their product in multiple media outlets, creating both visibility and interactivity.

The payoff for mastering the mix-media technique has already proven to be enormous. Users are getting hooked and texting in to offers online, at concerts, on radio, TV and billboards. One can only imagine what more is in store for 2006.

Nihal Mehta is founder and CEO of ipsh!, a mobile marketing "boutique" that has successfully implemented over 400 innovative campaigns in the United States since its inception in June 2001. ipsh! clients include Kellogg, Reebok, HBO, SONY, BMG, EMI, A&E, Nokia, Budweiser, Warner Bros, FOX, ABC, Dunkin' Donuts, Johnson & Johnson, K-Mart, and Universal.