A person receiving a text message ad.
A mobile campaign is a marketing campaign that integrates mobile devices such as cell phones and promotes direct consumer engagement with advertising. Instead of being a passive demographic target, consumers can shape the campaign by interacting with it. These campaigns can range in size and scope, from charitable fundraising initiatives to programs that allow viewers to vote on what they see on screen. They are usually planned by a marketing company specialized in this type of campaign.
One approach is to send text messages directly to consumers. The company can use a customer database or a purchased list of sales contacts to generate a mass text message that is sent to consumers. The message typically prompts the user to send a text message to initiate a purchase or receive more information. For example, a prepaid cell phone operator could text users during the holidays with a promotional offer to encourage them to buy more minutes so they can call family members.
A mobile campaign can also involve something like asking users to take photos of something and send them to the campaign headquarters. Consumers can be encouraged to take pictures of a product when they find it on the street, or they can be sent on a scavenger hunt where they have to locate a series of items. Items can be branded with a company logo and consumers can earn points or other benefits by identifying and reporting sightings. The mobile campaign can be linked to a social networking site to allow users to make reports that their friends can see, and this can create a competitive environment to drive more engagement.
Users may also find billboards and other advertisements that encourage them to text back. This can range from a text message with a code to automatically donate a certain amount of money to charity, to a text message in a survey. Reality shows can use this in competitions to entice live viewers to vote to decide who should be eliminated or retained. For networks that want to discourage the use of digital video recorders to expose viewers to more ads, these campaigns significantly increase the number of live views.
Mobile campaigns can also take a social justice angle. Some environmental and safety organizations install mobile phone apps that consumers can use to report health and safety issues. This can range from pollution to streets in poor condition. The mobile campaign makes it easy for citizens to report issues in their communities and can create a sense of community if users also interact with each other while reporting issues to the mobile campaign.