Converge Weekly

SMS Marketing is growing as best method of marketing world widely. In SMS marketing, bulks of numbers are gathered to send a message to all of them – this is done by profiling user data and broadcasting messages only to the target audiences.

It has been made good use of internationally, and has now been gaining popularity amongst the Pakistani audiences also. Lets take a look at some succesful international campaigns:

Case Study 1 – Dunkin Donuts

A two month mobile interactive ad campaign in Italy has resulted in a 9% increase in sales for Dunkin Donuts, according to the two companies that created it. As a result of an SMS-based marketing campaign, customers were able to get coupons for Dunkin Donuts goods by using their mobile handsets to respond to advertisements displayed on store notice boards, billboards and on the radio.

By sending a short message to the published numbers, users receive an immediate reply featuring a free gift coupon or special offer exchangeable at local outlets. Sales were reportedly up 9% within the first three weeks of the campaign. By enticing consumers to request special offers, Dunkin Donuts ensures that they achieve a great consumer push without running the risk of breaking down the client relationship by contributing to the wealth of ‘spam’. SMS is the perfect way to tap into a vast market of mobile phone users in an environment plagued by a lack of standardization and interconnections.

By ensuring that the power of the SMS medium is put to good use in an ethical way and one which doesn’t encroach upon users’ privacy is something which was key to the success of campaigns such as this one with Dunkin Donuts.

And Dunkin Donuts’ Italian franchisee GianLuigi Contin says that the SMS marketing solution has been a positive brand-building experience: “We are directly reaching our targets with a message they can understand. Cellular coupons are not cute promotions, rather they are serious marketing tools that not only extend the brand but are also directed towards the people we want to reach.”

Case Study 2 – Hilton uses SMS with success

The Hilton Hotel group has successfully used SMS messaging to increase guest numbers to its hotels and build customer loyalty. The hotel sent out important marketing messages such as specials and promotions directly to its members’ mobile handsets.

SMS allowed the hotel to get the messages out instantly and at the most appropriate time of day. The use of SMS as a direct marketing tool resulted in a 10-25% uptake of offers sent out by the hotel and proved to be an integral part its direct marketing and loyalty strategy.

Case Study 3 – Just what the doctor ordered!

A Queensland-based chiropractor, long plagued with no-shows of appointments made perhaps weeks earlier or last minute cancellations, now sends reminders to patients of their appointments that day and asking they notify the clinic if they cannot make the appointment. This has increased the successful appointment rate and also allows opportunities to fill cancelled appointments.

Case Study 4 – On-package promos

Starburst’s “More Juice More Burst” campaign looks to engage teens by using their cell phones to text a unique promotional short code found under specially marked packs of Starburst Fruit Chews.

Using the code J-U-I-C-Y (58429) across any cell phone carrier, and online at starburst.com, users can find out instantly via a return message if they’ve won juiced-up technology prizes like a 42-inch flat-screen TV, i-Pod Photo and more. The campaign runs through Sept. 30, 2005.

With more than 60 million on-pack impressions, the Starburst Brand More Juice for More Burst contest is the largest short-code, cross-carrier campaign for a consumer product goods company in U.S. history. Using packaging to drive the promotion, the company reports that online daily visits have nearly doubled since its April debut. Text messaging has accounted for 40 percent more traffic than anticipated.

Case Study 5 – In-house communications

PlusOne is helping managers be kept informed of when new marketing initiatives are commencing, on behalf of a national financial institution. Every message is unique and details the recipient’s name, when new TV ads are starting, and detail channel, program name and time. This information varies depending on the state and region, but merging info means unique information can be delivered to each person.