No man is an island, especially when he attends an event where planners have implemented “text-to-screen” technology. You’ve probably seen this before–perhaps in a bar, or at a sporting event. On a big video screen, there might be a quiz or poll that asks the crowd to vote on a particularly interesting topic (favorite barmaid, most valuable player, best song, etc.). It’s a great way to further engage attendees and make the event even more enjoyable. And if they use the right platform, event marketers can even gather participants’ contact information for use in future campaigns.

mobileStorm is that platform–especially with its new premium offering, Text-To-Screen. mobileStorm Text-To-Screen can be used to add excitement to sports matches, concerts, parties, or even a regular evening at a nightclub or movie theater. Here’s how it works: Marketers put up a poll or quiz on a video screen, and ask people to text their answers to a shortcode. As they vote, the results are presented on the screen in real time–adding excitement to the event since the results will change as more people text in their votes.

And because Text-To-Screen is part of the mobileStorm platform, users can further leverage these types of campaigns. For example, after someone sends an SMS to the short code, marketers can ask if they want to receive future special messages, and then save the consumer’s mobile number as well as ask for more demographic information about him or her.

For more details about mobileStorm Text-To-Screen, go to http://www.mobilestorm.com/text-to-screen/.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm

“I’d rather you text me”

A popular cable show and a maverick airline: Hot brands launched an even hotter digital marketing campaign, leveraged by SMS.

Entourage–the HBO comedy about a hot Hollywood actor and his surrounding group of helpers and hangers-on–kicked off its fifth season last week. But the show generated buzz a few days beforehand. First, marketers implemented a cross-promotion with the airline Virgin America, which created an “Entourage Class” on all its aircraft–and debuted the new section with a special flight that screened the show’s first new episode.

At the same time, Entourage marketers launched the “Entourage Air–Live It!” sweepstakes, with a grand prize that includes $5,000 cash, four first-class tickets on Virgin America to Las Vegas, a weekend stay in a Palms Casino Resort luxury suite, and other VIP perks like free steak dinners and spa treatments.

To play, consumers must text the keyword “HBO” to the short code 38714. (They can also fill out a Web form at https://www.entourageairliveit.com/Default.aspx.) The SMS portion of the campaign is powered by mobileStorm.

It’s too early to predict the ultimate outcome of the sweepstakes, since it’s open until October 4. (So it’s not too late to send an SMS message for a chance to win!) But midway through the promotion, mobile has already proven itself to be a valuable component of the campaign.

“To date, we have had over 40,000 entries with mobile contributing about 10 percent,” said Joe Grigsby, director of mobile strategy for VML, which created the digital elements for the campaign. “The strength of the mobile channel has been in allowing consumers to take action in entering the sweepstakes immediately at the point of campaign exposure. This has exceeded expectations of user engagement and demonstrated the value of a multi-channel approach.”

If mobile marketing has already exceeded expectations, just imagine how much more they’ll be pleased once they can analyze the data coming in from sweepstakes participants–of which there’s bound to be a lot once the contest ends.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm

“I’d rather you text me”

When you’re an elementary school kid, Thursday is “Opposite Day.” In that same youthful spirit: Instead of offering tips for effective messaging that adheres to best practices and pleases–rather than angers–consumers, we’re going to showcase an example of what NOT to do.

Recently our office received this email (two screen shots are of the same message) from what seems to be a company called Believe Audio:

First off, the message didn’t even come to the specific email address; it came to something called “Believe Audio Mailing List.” We have no idea how our accounts got on this list to begin with, nor the email address/addresses to which these guys were actually sending.

It gets better. The top of the message says that recipients can remove themselves from the company’s mailing list by replying to the email with REMOVE in the subject line.  However: In the first screen shot notice that the sender leaves out the “from address”! There is also no “reply-to address” when you try to reply to the email. Thus, when you add REMOVE in the subject line, it doesn’t matter because you can not send the email to anyone.

To be sure, you can see in the second screen shot that a “mail-to address” does appear in the header stamp further down, in Outlook. So yes, the recipient is able to send the sender a message asking to be removed. But the company sure made it hard to do so.

The kicker? These guys use Spam Arrest, a program that makes message-senders confirm they are not a robot spamming. Thus, you need to enter in a word that is displayed on the screen in order for your removal request to be sent–to the person who spammed YOU in the first place!

Now it’s time to state the obvious:

1. This company should only send email to addresses whose owners have opted-in to receive these specific types of messages.
2. The message should show the address to which the message is being sent.
3. The message should show the company’s “from address” and let someone reply easily, without having to go through a challenge response system like Spam Arrest.
4. This company needs to provide an opt-out link in all its messages that will–RIGHT AWAY–remove recipients from the mailing list.

Here’s a fifth fact: Believe Audio should read up on best practices for email marketing, and then stick to them. We suggest our white paper, Digital Marketing Best Practices for Geniuses. A more ironic title was never written.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm

“I’d rather you text me”

I’ve attended enough Apple events in my life to know that today’s shindig–truely an accurate term for Cupertino’s PR happenings, considering the heady blind love and live rock/pop music that fills the air–will make headlines even if not warranted. Leather iPod pouches, anyone?

Still, I’m betting had bet that whatever they come came out with will effect mobile marketing–heck, let’s say digital marketing overall. That’s because new versions of the iPod–highly expected as the topic of today’s affair–will undoubtedly be more iTouch than not. You’ll recall the iPod touch came out exactly a year ago, and was kind of like a true pocket computer in that it accessed the Internet via Wi-Fi networks.

If (1) the next-gen “iTouch” offers enough value for the money to become widely adopted, and (2) can take advantage of cellular networks as well as Wi-Fi (thus assuring the gadget can actually connect to the Web “anytime, anywhere”), it could seriously affect the mobile marketing message space.

We’re talking the re-consideration of everything from mobile email messages (they should differ from regular emails) to online ads. Even one’s Web site might have to be modified to accomodate the proliferation of small screens in consumers’ hands.

Uh-oh, seems I got caught up in the moment, just like most other writers covering Apple…

Stay tuned for an update (including pix) as soon as the news comes out!

UPDATE Well, along with software announcements for iTunes and the iPhone, and the Nano, Steve squeezed in a new iTouch. Skinnier, with a speaker and cool gaming features. Alas, no broadband-over-cellular connection, ‘cept for the ability to acess the iPhone App Store. The mobile marketing revolution is not coming today.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm

“I’d rather you text me”