Web Design Ireland

1. Sales Promotions
Urban Outfitters (http://www.urbanoutfitters.com), a major retailer which offers customers shoes and furnishings, launched UO TXT via (https://www.shoptext.com/main/index.action) in June to alert regular customers to pre-sales and new items. Numerous other retailers have followed, integrating Text campaigns into their website to drive sales.

2. ‘Text & Win’ competitions
In a European first, Ford Fiesta launched a new ad campaign in July 2004 in Belgium, combining interactive billboards with SMS.

Passers-by could try their hand at winning a Ford Fiesta by sending an SMS with their first name to a short code and indicating the code on the billboard. The billboard then responded to this SMS, and sent another SMS with a question.

If answered correctly, the billboard reacted like a winning pinball machine and the sender was entitled to an “extra ball” meaning they would be included in the draw for a winner. For every incorrect answer sent by text message, the pinball machine displayed a “tilt”.

(http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2004/07/004640.htm)

When Peugeot launched the 207 in the summer of 2006, it launched a TV, print, outdoor and online ad campaign encouraging readers to text ‘24’ to 60222 in order to get a 24-hour test drive.

A wonderful example of how SMS was used in 2002 to promote a new movie. Prior to the launch in the UK of “The Birthday Girl“, starring Nicole Kidman as a Russian Internet bride, participants were asked to reply to a personal ad from a sexy Russian woman or create their own ad, as per the theme of the movie.

Every participant received a voucher by SMS, redeemable at Warner Village Cinemas and were entered into a prize draw to win tickets to the film’s premiere.

3. Quotations
Text2Insure (www.text2insure.co.uk) provides an insurance quote and cover - direct to a mobile phone in less than 5 minutes. Initially launched as a last minute travel insurance proposition, it provides travelers with easy access, right up until their time of departure, to a quote and the option to buy travel insurance simply by using existing mobile phone SMS text capability or WAP.

4. Orders
Pizza Hut (www.pizzahut.com/mobileordering) offers nationwide mobile ordering via their website on any web-enabled phone, or by text messaging.

Campusfood.com (www.campusfood.com), an online network of restaurants, offers customers the option to place their orders via text messaging.

Aya Food (www.aya.ie) uses SMS marketing campaigns to inform customers of special Sushi offers, and allows customers to reserve a table.

5. Vending Sales
An SMS-enabled (Cadbury) chocolate vending machine was launched in Mumbai, in 2003. Customers send a text message to a short code number displayed on the LCD panel of the machine; the machine then displays the customer’s mobile number and asks for the choice of chocolate. When the chocolate had been dispensed, the customer receives an SMS confirming the transaction.

In 2003, Switzerland had coke dispensing machines that allowed users to buy a soda with their cell phone in a similar fashion.

6. Prepaid Coupons and Virtual Vouchers
Web site Mukuru.com (www.mukuru.com) offers an alternative to long queues at gas stations short of fuel. Once a friend or relative has logged on and paid for fuel, the company sends a short message to the recipient’s cell phone in Zimbabwe containing a 10-digit number the person can exchange for vouchers at a designated coupon office.

The Tshwane Metro in South Africa has launched a new system for the buying of pre-paid electricity units. The system called “Cellpower” is the first of its kind in the country and uses cell phone technology to allow people to buy electricity. “The system will see vendors buying electricity and selling it to consumers using cellular and SMS technology. The system means that consumers will have easier access to prepaid tokens as the vendors will be closer to where they live and will be open after hours”
http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2005/08/009503.htm

Prism Holdings of South Africa (www.prism.co.za) has piloted a project called Easy Pay (www.prism.co.za/bills-and-prepaid-electricity.aspx) that allows prepaid electricity consumers to access their free basic electricity entitlement using a mobile phone.

Cellfire (www.cellfire.com) send SMS coupon offers from food and entertainment to retail shopping and more.

7. Discount Coupons and Vouchers
Books and music retailer Borders (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/577394) distributes a monthly newsletter with exclusive offers to its database of 480,000 customers across the UK. In order to redeem these offers, consumers print the vouchers and present them to the store.

8. Virtual Gifts
AT&T and 1-800-FLOWERS are seeing a greenish-red this year for Valentine’s Day. The largest GSM carrier in the United States has added a link to the 1-800-FLOWERS mobile shop to its MediaNET deck, as part of their ‘Cupid Goes Wireless’ campaign. AT&T subscribers can login to send their special someone a free animated flower bouquet (hopefully with a disclaimer for men that mobile flowers will not cover them for the entire holiday).

9. Auction Bidding
Ebay (http://pages.ebay.co.uk/mobile) offers a bidding service by SMS. Users are able to monitor and participate in the online bidding process by tracking bids through “outbid” alerts and to react quickly from their mobile should they need to increase a bid.

10. Daily Mobile Content (Premium)
Metcheck.com is the UK and Ireland’s premier weather alert service with up to date forecasts and real-time alerts for all cities in the UK. More than 100,000 daily visitors log onto the website to view the latest weather information in its own unique format. The next logical step with the advance of the Internet and SMS was using SMS technology to make data available to users roaming around Europe.

Daily Verse SMS from pray4u.co.uk (http://www.pray4u.co.uk/daily-bible-textsms.php) allows mobile phone users to sign up and receive Bible passages by text messaging.

Virgin Mobile USA launched a short story named Ghost Town in 2006 that was delivered exclusively through text messages “Two messages were sent per day over a five week period. The first messages were sent out on August 14th. The promotion was aimed at raising awareness of teen homelessness.” Readers had the opportunity to determine how the story ends, choosing between two options via text message poll.”

Netweather.tv (https://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=sms;sess) is offering subscribers SMS text warnings of imminent downpours for specific UK locations.

Webdistortion offer SMS software, and text message marketing solutions for customers across the UK and Ireland, contact us today for a quotation.<–>