Text Messaging Featured Article

Spreading product awareness and bolstering sales are two of the main goals of any company’s marketing campaign, and increasingly companies are turning to text messaging to help achieve these goals. It’s a versatile medium, and since most consumers own text-enabled cell phones or smartphones, texting is an ideal way to facilitate interactive marketing between customers and a company.

Teaming up with Warner Brothers and “The Lego Movie,” in theaters now, yogurt brand Dannon is taking advantage of SMS marketing, having created a text-to-enter campaign in order to promote its new Danimals Greek Yogurt products. The company is pairing its text campaign with in-store signage directing customers to text in for a chance to win a VIP tour of Warner Bros. studio, tickets to see “The Lego Movie” and autographed movie posters. When consumers enter the contest by texting a given short code, they also automatically receive a link via SMS to download a customizable, film-themed wallpaper for their phone or computer background.

Dannon chose to tie its newest product to “The Lego Movie” as both appeal to younger children. Digital agency CausePlay developed the campaign, which is being promoted primarily in southern California grocery stores via shelf displays, such as the one pictured.

Image via Mobile Marketer

“We like the simplicity of engaging consumers on a mobile via SMS," said Freddy Mino, shopper marketing manager at Dannon, Manhattan Beach, Calif. "It’s a clean and easy way to have our shoppers enter the sweepstakes, and it allows for very simple communication…Shopping is complex, so we didn’t want to add any more complexity with enter to win through paper.”

This is the first time that Dannon has leveraged SMS for a campaign, according to Mino. While the company does not plan on asking consumers who enter the contest to opt-in to a listserv, Mino expects Dannon to leverage SMS for future campaigns because, once consumers are used to the SMS contest, they will be more comfortable entering future contests.

“If we can get shoppers trained in texting to win, we can involve this in a bigger platform. The goal is: how do we provide value to our shoppers and consumers on an everyday basis?” Mino added. “SMS allows it to be a simple message, and moving forward we can use this platform for promotional ways to win.”

SMS marketing is not only versatile in terms of the wide range of consumers it can reach, but also in terms of how many industries can use the tool to boost sales. From yogurt to insurance to smart TV, text messaging is a universal way to communicate and promote a business.