After
seeing coupon redemption rates of 50% in its initial 12 test stores,
Subway Restaurants recently expanded its “My Subway
Mobile” campaign to more than 100 locations. The chain is now offering
a dozen different promotional offers to more than 5,500 customers
through the program, which is managed using a service from
Modiv
Media.
In another recent indication of the power of mobile marketing,
Papa
John’s Pizza recent Super Bowl campaign, “
TEXTRA Points
for Pizza,” drew over 115,000 registrants who were looking
to score super discounts on pizza based on the final outcome of
the big game.
While many of the early success stories around mobile marketing
have been in the QSR sector, industry analysts suggest there are
significant opportunities for other retailers to get in on the mobile
action.
“The possibilities for mobile marketing are endless,” says Brad
Beasley, president of
CrossLink
Media, a mobile marketing company offering both messaging and
Bluetooth ad-serving software. MessageLink, the company’s proprietary
messaging system, executes mobile campaigns via a secure online
interface that enables clients to log in and create, modify, and
deploy within minutes.
In addition, MessageLink provides a fully automated CRM solution
offering additional information and request follow-up communication.
“MessageLink provides a great CRM tool as clients now have immediate
interaction with their mobile database and can reach these customers
anytime, anywhere via the consumer’s most personal device – the
wireless phone,” says Beasley.
MessageLink also controls
CrossLink’s “
Txt
2 Buy” feature that enables consumers to purchase products
directly from their wireless phone and makes every advertisement
and communication with the consumer an immediate point-of-sale opportunity.
With Txt 2 Buy, consumers don’t need to wait until they get online
to place an order, nor do they have to wait on the phone for an
operator to complete the order.
Beasley says the highlights of mobile marketing include the following
potential payoffs for retailers:
• 1-to-1 interaction with consumers vs. mass communication
• Measurable results
• Increased store traffic
• Increased impulse buys
• 24 x7 x 365 access
• Ability to reach only those customers who have specifically asked
to receive your offers. No more wasted advertising
Dialing Up Urgency
Andy Nulman, CMO of
Airborne
Entertainment, a mobile marketing company that’s worked with
major brands such as Taco Bell, Maxim Magazine, and the NHL, agrees
there is a big opportunity for retailers to cash in on the immediacy
that the mobile medium provides.“It’s not about technology, it’s
about people. People are interested in finding deals. Mobile marketing
is just getting off the ground…the time is right now.” Nulman builds
his case for mobile marketing around the acronym NOW, pointing to
the following strategies:
Nearby: “Customers need to be in your
radius, close, local. Shoppers aren’t traveling very far for a pair
of jeans.”
Only: “There has to be a limit. Create
a sense of urgency for your campaign. Establish a relationship to
create an addicted customer.”
Wow: “Make a compelling offer. Make
consumers opt in for select communication. You want them to come
sporadically.”
A few of the key benefits of mobile marketing Nulman
points
to include the local drawing power of mobile
media
and the urgency that is created by text messages. “It is also dynamic
so that you can take action when you need to. Do you have an empty
store? Do something about it,” Nulman says. He offers the following
5 strategies retailers can employ to take advantage of the rapid
growth of mobile marketing:
