Mississauga, Ont-based record company EMI Music Canada is testing the wide-open texting waters with an SMS campaign for the new Faith Evans album The First Lady, which was released April 5. Evans fans can text in to EMIEMI (364364) for a chance to meet the singer, and instantly receive an m-coupon for $2 off the album at retail partner Future Shop stores. EMI has done SMS campaigns before with specific carriers, but this is its first indie effort working with multiple carriers.
The goal beyond immediate sales and artist profile lift is to amass a permission-based database of ‘opted-in’ mobile consumers for future communications – a ‘mobile club’ intended to complement EMI’s existing e-mail club.
EMI wanted a national retail partner, and decided Burnaby, B.C-based Future Shop would be a good fit. ‘They were very enthusiastic about the idea of using a mobile coupon in the music space,’ says EMI Canada marketing manager Jen Walsh. ‘The fact that they sell mobile phones and service in their stores is a nice synergy too.’
Charlottetown-based Magnet Mobile Media built the m-coupon program for EMI. Canadians currently send over 2.7 million text messages a day, and Magnet’s Toronto-based president Stan Davidson predicts that number will continue to grow. ‘Text in general will explode,’ he says. Cross-carrier SMS capabilities have been available in Canada for two years now.
AB, with files from MM
