In an exclusive interview with Leo Burnett, Steve Smith from Mediapost discusses how Iris Mobile’s Rich Media Messaging technology played a successful role in an integrated marketing campaign for Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s fall musical, “Sunday in the Park with George”.

What do you do to promote the opening of a legendary musical — but it’s a market where live audiences are declining, the economy still struggles, and discretionary income just isn’t going to live theater? Oh, and by the way, do it on a $10,000 budget. That was the challenge for Leo Burnett in promoting the Chicago Shakespeare Theater opening of “Sunday in the Park with George.”

The ingenious solution leveraged one of Chicago’s own great treasures — its Art Institute — and the Georges Seurat painting that plays a central character in the musical itself. It was a bit of a caper. “It took about six months to convince the Art Institute,” says Bill Reishtein, SVP/Group Creative Director, Leo Burnett.

Well, yeah. The idea was to create a fake version of the famous painting, but with some of the characters missing. They situated the painting about 50 feet away from the room with the original, so that visitors would come upon it thinking they were seeing the real thing — but maybe not quite. They set up video cameras to capture people’s reactions as they laughed, scratch their heads and looked on in wonder.

“And after 30 minutes we had actors come in and do the song “Sunday” from the play. It was a beautiful moment of music going through the museum,” Reishtein says.

In fact, it proved to be a mobile moment… And the necessary one. The Burnett team had done a good job of alerting the press with embargoed releases and local station trucks ready to cover the event. But moments before a major announcement came down involving the infamous Chicago teachers’ strike of last year, pulling most of the remote trucks away from the Art Institute.

“That was where mobile came in,” he says. “The interaction between mobile and social was our strategy.” Working with Iris Mobile, they distributed on-site signage and pass-outs inviting people to text to win their own Sunday in Paris. They got back a video for the play that was easily shared via Twitter and Facebook. Or they could buy a ticket.

The second phase involved putting the faux painting at the Chicago Art Expo with a cutout inviting people to pose as the missing characters and post the images to their own social media.

The two-phase campaign netted 8 million media impressions in 24 hours as local media around the country picked it up. A fully fleshed-out multimedia package was distributed to media in very short order. But more to the point, it drove real sales. The show broke the theater’s record for having the highest number of first-time guests in its history.

For Senior Digital Strategist Ian Beacraft, the campaign worked because social was not a simple add-on — an invitation to “like” something. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime event and it is a way for people to take it with them, to take a postcard.”

In other words, the strategy here was not to find and insert oneself into a mobile moment, but to create a sharable mobile moment for people. “Bring people to it and let them broadcast it as a highlight reel of their lives,” says Beacraft.

The mobile phone has become a reflex for recording and sharing. When we see something amazing, our impulse is to share with someone we care about. That is mobile media as we the consumers have defined it in our lives, and it has nothing to do with the mobile browsers, ad units, app distribution ecosystem and marketing methods that we in the industry call “mobile media.” In everyday life, mobile media is more of an impulse to record and share.

Technically, the campaign here was designed to make the assets easy to share.

“We recognized what platform they were signed into and gave them that option for sharing,” says Reishtein. And the shared content like video clips from the show were designed to be enjoyed by people who weren’t even present.

The effort paid off in longevity as well. Seventeen percent of the people who texted into the program opted in for further messages.

There is a cool idea in here about how mobile marketing can evolve into something that slipstreams into the mobile behaviors that people already demonstrate in everyday life. Either creating occasions for mobile self-expression and sharing or simply understanding the places and the times when those behaviors take place opens up a whole new range of creative possibilities.

Instead of intruding on a mobile moment, you are facilitating one, inspiring one, and helping to enhance one. If we really come to understand the mobile device as an extension of personal will or activity or sharing, then we have the opportunity to imagine it as so much more than just another screen to be occupied.

The idea becomes: how do you inspire the behavior — become a part of it — become aligned and identified with it? We start thinking of mobile as something closer to a reflex or a behavior than just as a medium.

Original Article Available: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/200734/crafting-moments-mobile-as-a-reflex-not-a-medium.html?edition=60204#ixzz2TwvygQA2

AMC Theatres is using mobile coupons and incentives to help the company boost opt-ins to its SMS program this summer.

AMC Theatres is loading its locations with mobile calls-to-actions that prompt users to sign-up for SMS alerts from the company. In addition, the company is leveraging Apple’s Passbook to let consumers store coupons and offers.

“Messaging platforms leverage the most personal and direct communication link between a brand and its consumers – more than 97 percent of text messages are read and more than 90 percent of them are read within the first three minutes, and there is no other marketing channel that can claim that,” said Cezar Kolodziej, CEO/president of Iris Mobile, Chicago.

“This results in the highest redemption rates among all mobile technologies available today,” he said. “Using SMS as an entry point to sign movie lovers up for a long-term texting promotional program is a great way to keep them aware of latest movies and bring them back to enjoy latest releases at the movie theater near them.”

Mr. Kolodziej is not affiliated with AMC Theatres. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

AMC Theatres did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile offers
AMC Theatres is leveraging multiple pieces of marketing in theaters to promote the summer initiative.

Calls-to-action are plastered on posters, signage and on check-out screens at concession stands. Additionally, on-screen ads on the theaters’ big screen encourage consumers to participate for the campaign reads, “Score! $1 off lrg fountain drink :)”

Users are then promoted to text the keyword JOIN to the short code 242424 to receive their coupon.

By sending the text, consumers are also opted-in to AMC Theatres’ SMS program that sends up to six messages per month.

The SMS message that consumers are sent contains a time-sensitive link to a landing page with a QR code that can be scanned by an AMC Theatres employee at the concession stand. The landing page also includes a list of instructions that explains how cashiers accept the coupon.

Additionally, the offer can be stored to the Passbook app for consumers with an iPhone, which will likely not only help remind consumers of the offer when they are at an AMC Theatres location.

The coupon for the $1 off of soft drinks expires on June 27.

Mobile past

This is not the first mobile initiative from AMC Theatres.

Last year, the company rolled out a mobile ticketing iPhone and Android app that not only lets consumers buy tickets but also integrate into the company’s loyalty AMC Stubs program.

Additionally, the company added all of its locations to Fandango’s system to spur digital ticket sales last year.

In this case, focusing on SMS to distribute mobile coupons since movie tickets are often a spontaneous, quick purchase for consumers. Additionally, mobile has proved to be effective for film studios and theaters in driving ticket sales.

“Texting for mobile loyalty programs retain a lot of customers,” Mr. Kolodziej said.

“For Iris Mobile’s clients, we have noticed in our rich media messaging campaigns a 20 percent monthly increase in all mobile text clubs’ memberships, and more than 98 percent of opted-in customers stay with the program they signed up for,” he said.

“This is a great tool to build your loyalty program because it allows brands to reach customers anytime and anywhere on any device.”

Original Article Available: http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/amc-theatres-builds-sms-program-through-incentivized-summer-campaign

For today’s fashion-forward woman, image is everything. That’s why today’s top  fashion retailers are turning to Rich Media Messaging to prove that a picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to increasing customer engagement. This form of  mobile messaging is allowing retailers to showcase the latest fashion trends and sales by sending image-based offers to customers.

American Marketing Association: Late last year, you launched a new campaign featuring Rich Media Messaging. Can you describe that methodology of messaging and explain why you chose to use this form of messaging for this campaign?

Kolodziej: Avenue was looking to capture customer information in store to drive continued engagement from loyal customers. Messaging was the perfect vehicle, as customers could easily opt-in while shopping to receive a coupon for their purchase in real time. As Avenue is a fashion based brand, we took it one step further by incorporating vivid imagery for future mobile message based campaigns. We used Rich Media Messaging to continue the conversation out of store, to entice customers to come back to the store and purchase more by sharing sales event information and showing the latest fashion based imagery as a call to action to return in store.

Previously, Avenue used SMS for their mobile messaging campaign, which brought limitation issues such as a 160-character limit. SMS was not as effective as it could be for a messaging channel due to this limitation. By using Rich Media Messaging, Avenue does not have to deal with character limitations and they are able to send coupons in rich content that are similar to coupons that are seen in other forms of media, which automatically results in a stronger emotional reaction, which in turn amplifies results for each campaign blast.

AMA: What do you think are some advantages of using rich media messaging for retailers today? How does rich media messaging differ from a basic SMS program?

Kolodziej: Since a “picture is worth a thousand words,” rich media messaging gives Avenue the creative ability to showcase latest fashion trends and sales by sending image-based offers to customers, which results in a higher emotional response from their customers. The Rich Media Messaging platform automatically detects and optimizes messaging content individually for all different mobile devices, so customers can view content clearly on their screens, resulting in very high engagement rates – between 20 to 35 percent – without downloading applications or clicking any links. Rich Media Messages are simply delivered to your messaging inbox, just like SMS, but engage better response rates due to high-impact imagery.

AMA: Can you describe the campaign and the goals for the campaign? 

Kolodziej: The goal of the campaign was to increase user engagement by capturing customer information and getting them back in store more frequently. The campaign has customers opt-in online or in store to receive an immediate coupon for their next purchase, then follow-up messages are sent detailing promotions and offers from Avenue that entice them to make purchases both in-store and online.

AMA: You indicated the campaign includes pushing messaging to customers using rich media messaging. Can you describe what the content consisted of, and was this content developed to target specific types of Avenue customers?

Kolodziej: The typical Avenue customer is fashion forward, but price conscious. The content is being tailored to this specific demographic by using imagery that represents the Avenue fashion line, but also has a strong call to action to get customers back in store for further savings.

AMA: Can you speak to some of the metrics associated with this campaign? Specifically, how successful was this campaign in terms of sales, referrals, instore visits, etcetera?

Kolodziej: This campaign allowed Avenue to generate an ROI of 6,600 percent within the first three months of execution. The current opt-in list is consistently growing at a rate of 40 percent, and push messaging blasts after the initial in store promotion are generating a redemption rate of 20 percent.

AMA: How did you integrate the messaging campaign with other elements of your multi-channel campaign?

Kolodziej: To increase the number of opt-ins in the campaign, Avenue advertises the opt-in code on all digital channels, such as social media, Web site, and e-mail.

AMA: In general, how have customers responded to this form of marketing? In what ways have you seen customers becoming more engaged with the Avenue brand?

Kolodziej: Rich Media Messaging creates a direct communication channel between Avenue and their customers. Approximately 97 percent of all messages viewed, and customers return in store as a result of monthly campaigns. Customers voluntarily opt-in to receive messages from Avenue, and respond to the promotions, but above and beyond that they have the ability to respond back to the messages they received. Some customers actually replied back to the rich media messages they received with their thoughts and comments on the Avenue brand. This proves that this channel is not only engaging, but it also gives Avenue the ability to have a one on-one relationship with each of their customers.

AMA: Can you describe what your plans might be for integrating mobile more within your overall marketing strategy in the near future?

Kolodziej: Avenue understands that mobile is an important marketing touch point. Consistency is the key to ensure any campaign is successful. Moving forward, messaging will continue to be an essential part of long-term mobile marketing initiatives.

Original Article Available: http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Pages/fashion-retailer-avenue-reels-in-roi-with-rich-media-messaging.aspx

Lauren Johnson from Mobile Marketer discusses Kraft’s new mobile campaign which uses social and video to interact with consumers. Cezar Kolodziej shares his insights on how using the right touch points and tactics is important for a successful mobile campaign.

Kraft is continuing to prove that mobile plays an important role in how consumers interact with social and video with a new campaign that promotes its line of Zesty Italian salad dressings.

The initiative centers around Kraft’s “Let’s Get Zesty” campaign, which uses digital as a core touchpoint for consumers. Kraft has been building up its mobile initiatives recently, particularly with advertising.

“One pillar of the communication strategy was social sharing – we wanted consumers to have fun with the campaign and share with their friends and enabled that via recipes and zesty grams,” said Karmen Conrad, senior brand manager for Kraft Dressings, Northfield, IL.

“The campaign is aimed at consumers who like to be creative in the kitchen,” she said.

“The goal is to engage consumers through fun, flirtatious and playful creative with Zesty Guy and get them thinking about salads and cooking with Kraft Dressing.”

Mobile, social engagement

Kraft has created a microsite for the campaign at http://www.getmezesty.com.

To promote the microsite, Kraft is running mobile video advertisements within the Hulu Plus iPhone app.

Via the site, consumers can create “Zestygrams,” which are personalized greeting cards that are created from a Facebook application that is optimized for mobile devices.

Consumers can choose from six different scenes that feature the campaign’s spokesman – actor Anderson Davis.

From there, consumers are encouraged to sync the site with their Facebook account to personalize the greeting card.

Consumers can pick a friend or family member from Facebook to send the message to via a drop-down menu. Messages can also be personalized with three pieces of additional information from drop-down menus.

Additionally, consumers can watch three commercials via the site, which are each 30-seconds long.

All of the site’s content can be shared via email, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Social is inherently mobile and therefore Kraft is smart to not only make the Facebook app optimized for mobile devices but also use mobile advertising to promote the campaign.

Mobile past

Kraft has consistently been ramping up its mobile initiatives in the past year.

Most recently, Kraft used mobile advertising for its Macaroni & Cheese brand that was aimed at helping the company build up its Twitter presence (see story).

Additionally, a campaign for Kraft’s Philadelphia line of cream cheeses included mobile videos and banner ads to show consumers recipes that incorporated the products (see story).

“Mobile makes sense for everyone and Kraft’s case is not an exception,” said Cezar Kolodziej, CEO/president of Iris Mobile, Chicago.

Mr. Kolodziej is not affiliated with Kraft. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

“However, using the right touch points and associated tactics can make it or break it for almost every campaign,” he said.

“Let’s remember that consumers are using the Hulu application to watch their favorite shows and movies. If this is the case, having in-app video ads that drive the consumer to the mobile Web site and directs them to their Facebook account to personalize a greeting is not a very convenient or clearly-defined way to engage anyone with Kraft.”

Original Article Available: http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/15237.html

Leo Burnett and Iris Mobile received recognition at the 2013 REGGIE Awards by winning the Super REGGIE and four gold REGGIE awards for a Rich Media Messaging campaign that promoted Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s musical, “Sunday in the Park with George”.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Leo Burnett USA kicked off fall production of “Sunday in the Park with George” with a surprise live performance by actors from the musical at the Art Institute of Chicago. What was surprising about the performance? The actors performed in front of a life-sized replica of the famous masterpiece by George Seurat, but this replica was missing key figures from the original work of art. After the performance the audience was encouraged to join a mobile messaging campaign to discover the secret of the missing characters.

This event was captured on video and integrated into a marketing campaign using mobile, social media, contest for a free trip to Paris, PR campaign, auctioning of the faux painting for charity, and more.

Using Iris Mobile’s image-based mobile messaging technology, Rich Media Messaging, opted-in audience members received a video explaining how the missing characters in the painting have come to life in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s new musical and encouraged them to buy tickets to see the performance.

Results show that 21.7% of the customers that participated in the campaign had feature phones while 78.3% had smart phones. Over 14% of opted-in users shared the rich content they received on their Facebook. Additionally, over 17% of opted-in users agreed to receive future updates from Chicago Shakespeare Theater over messaging. This creative use of technology resulted in a unique interactive mystery for the audience and helped Chicago Shakespeare Theater deliver tremendous results using mobile messaging.The use of Rich Media Messaging enabled users to receive exclusive rich video content, which could further be shared on Twitter and Facebook, further amplifying the success of this campaign. The RMM platform automatically detected and optimized messaging content individually for all different mobile devices so opted-in individuals were able to view content clearly on their screens, resulting in very high engagement, and all at standard messaging rates.

According to Sean Brennan, Marketing Assistant at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, “Not only did Iris Mobile’s marketing solution help generate positive buzz for our production, but it also provided an innovative way for us to engage with theater enthusiasts in Chicago.”

This multi-faceted campaign produced excitement for the upcoming production by:

• Generating over 8 million impressions in just 24 hours.
• Breaking all-time record by having the highest number of first-time guests in the history of the theater.
• Extending the musical for an extra week due to popular demand for tickets.

Avenue, a source for affordable fashion for real size women, switches from using SMS to Rich Media Messaging to manage their mobile marketing program. By sending out image-based coupons with latest fashion trends, Avenue drives in-store traffic and increases sales.

Avenue, a plus size fashion retailer, has achieved a 97% open rate and an ROI of approximately 6,600% with a national promotion using Rich Media Messaging technology. The ongoing mobile program provides opted-in customers with weekly messaging promotions enticing them to enter an Avenue store and make a purchase. The campaign, based on technology from Iris Mobile, is promoted through in-store, online, email and social media advertising.

The RMM platform optimizes content, such as coupons and promotional imagery, so that mobile device users can see it clearly, without content limitations at standard messaging rates. This ability has resulted in very high engagement rates, according to an Avenue press release.

Of the 97% of messages opened, the majority (79.1%) of customers participating in the program are smartphone owners.

Results also show that the multichannel promotional approach for the messaging campaign is generating a more than 30% increase in opt-in list membership per month.

“Not only did Iris Mobile’s marketing solution improve customer engagement for Avenue’s messaging program,” said Julie Daly, President of E-Commerce for Avenue, “but also it generates significant growth in our monthly revenue that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”

Prior to using RMM, Avenue relied on SMS-based campaigns to engage with customers.

Original Article Available: http://www.retailtouchpoints.com/news-brief/2435-avenue-sees-97-open-rate-by-switching-to-rich-media-messaging

Marketers have told you to build a mobile presence, and that it is essential to connect with your customers on the go, but what does this mean to your loyalty program, and how can you ensure the best possible results?

If you are a retailer in the United States, the odds are very high that almost all of your customers are in your stores with a very powerful tool in their hands — their mobile device. This article is designed to help you navigate the best strategy to build your loyalty program using mobile and increase your campaign results along the way.

Capture the details

The most important part of a loyalty program is getting all of your customers to sign up for the program. A study conducted in 2012 by the Interactive Advertising Bureau showed that 73% of customers use their mobile devices while shopping. Although this was not previously the case, retailers must capitalize on this trend to increase sales in the future. There are a few techniques that can be used instantly to capture your customer information. It’s very simple to post in-store signage asking customers to text into a mobile loyalty program to receive discounts or download a mobile app for additional content. It is essential to understand your customers before selecting the right approach, and to ensure that your store has a strong mobile network signal to avoid a frustrating experience for your customers.

Make it valuable

For continued engagement, it is important to understand what motivates your customers. Are they motivated by savings, rewards, or the experience itself? The mobile-based loyalty campaign should motivate participation with this in mind, but it should also be part of a cohesive program that delivers an exclusive experience for those who have signed up. For instance, if you are a clothing retailer, offer a reward for the initial sign-up into the loyalty program, but then continue to entice your customers with invite-only shopping events, sweepstakes, or information on upcoming style trends. Not all campaigns get the same results. Just as we use A/B testing for online campaigns, the same techniques can be used for mobile campaigns, and it is important to test what resonates the most with your customers to ensure the best results.

Keep the conversation going

Once your customers have signed up for your loyalty program, keep the conversation going via mobile. Send push messaging to drive them back to your store or download your mobile application. Use your mobile application to send push notifications so customers can view the latest products and sales via the app or online. Get customers to use your app in-store. According to one study conducted last year, 93% of people who use apps in-store will convert to a sale. Develop a content calendar for your mobile initiatives just like you would for email or online to remind your customers to come back and visit you again.

Building participation in your loyalty program is easier now that customers are armed with mobile devices in your stores. Take advantage of this opportunity by providing valuable content, then keep the dialogue open by reminding them why they should keep coming back. If you follow these few simple steps, you should be well on your way to building an effective mobile-based loyalty program.

Measuring analytics are essential to ensure that your mobile messaging campaign is working.

Here’s some tips to help you find the best strategy to track mobile analytics, learn more about your customers, and increase your campaign results along the way.

Know Your Customers

So why do many of us fail to measure this on a regular basis? The simple answer is because it’s often very difficult to measure mobile analytics due to platform fragmentation and the vast array of device capabilities.

Do you really know what mobile devices your customers are using? Many mobile marketers use mobile Web analytics to extrapolate what devices their customers are carrying in their pockets. Unfortunately, this only provides a partial view of your entire customer base. Using this approach, you are able to view device type for customers who are already using your mobile site, not the customers who have yet to access your mobile site.

This is an important distinction, because not every customer segment will use your mobile tools the same way. In order to get a broader picture, it is a good idea to get mobile device analytics from your messaging program. Messaging providers who employ device detection can tell you the full spectrum of devices that are included in your customer base. This technology also allows you to push mobile users to the right mobile solution, for instance, if you know which customers are Android users. Then you can use messaging to push them to the relevant Android-based mobile application.

Measure Often

You may think that measuring initial results from your mobile campaign is enough, but one thing we have learned about mobile is that results change over time. This applies to any click-through calls to action embedded in mobile messaging campaigns. Mobile messaging is a sticky technology, and users tend to keep messages on their mobile devices longer than email. Users open links in messages multiple times or save the message to view later. We have seen this trend on many messaging campaigns where the initial analytics for click-throughs embedded in messages kept growing for several weeks and the final results were nearly 40% higher than immediately after the blast.

Test Your Campaign

Not all campaigns generate the same results. Just as we use A/B testing for online campaigns, the same techniques can be used for mobile messaging. By making small changes in messaging, images or color, the results can vary greatly.

To maximize the potential of your own campaigns, split your list into multiple segments and send slightly different messages to each group to see what resonates best with your target audience. Ensure that there is a strong call to action and a way to measure redemption from the message. The results will likely surprise you.

From our past testing, the best results we have seen are from interactive content, where the user is asked to participate in a contest or survey. These types of messages generate an immediate response and are much easier to track than simple branding content.

Messaging analytics are an essential and cost-effective way to learn more about your customers. Marketers often fail to track the simplest of marketing initiatives, but measuring on a regular basis, using A/B testing techniques and device detection can help you understand what content can generate a response not only via messaging but throughout your digital initiatives.

Original Article Available: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/196505/mobile-messaging-analytics-3-essential-metrics-yo.html#ixzz2OkkXedBT

Mobile innovation continues to lead the charge for marketers in 2013.  So what are the major trends we should be watching for this year? Learn about what trends are leading the charge and have the potential to change your business.

Get hyper-local

As handsets become more sophisticated, location-based search will continue to become more important. Currently, 75 percent of smartphone owners use location-based services, and this usage is only predicted to grow throughout the year. The more relevant the search results, the higher the revenue potential for local bricks and mortar businesses. We are already seeing Google and Apple Maps battle it out for market share supremacy. With these trends in place, it is important to position your business as a local option via mobile to ensure you capture some of the upcoming revenue potential, which is projected to be $6 billion by 2017.

Converge your social and mobile initiatives

More than 60 percent of smartphone users access social networking sites using their mobile devices. We also know that 34 percent of users are more likely to share information about purchases on social media rather than on traditional e-commerce sites. As a result, mobile continues to play a very important role in social brand perception, and it is essential to build social touchpoints when considering a complete mobile strategy. Leading brand campaigns, like fashion retailer H&M’s David Beckham initiative in 2012, generated exceptional user engagement by getting customers to participate via mobile, and getting the initiative to extend further via social media networks. Users were incentivized to participate by taking pictures of locally placed statues of David Beckham using the Instagram app, and then sharing to their social networks for a chance to enter and win H&M’s $1,000 shopping spree sweepstakes.

Redefine your messaging program

When we think of messaging, we usually think of standard SMS and fail to give this tactic much clout in our mobile tool box. The reality is that almost 95 percent of users engage in text messaging on a regular basis. Mobile messaging has the power to deliver substantial results due to its ability to reach a very broad audience. Now, with the new development of technologies like image-based and video-based messaging, which allow marketers to deliver more engaging content to almost all users, it’s time to reintegrate messaging as a core building block of our mobile strategies. The classic BMW case study still applies: The company ran an image-based promotion that resulted in 30 percent conversion for tire sales immediately. Similar campaigns have generated click-through rates of more than 40 percent for contest and promotional type CTAs. With these outstanding results and vast consumer acceptance, it’s only a matter of time until we shift from SMS to more robust messaging technologies.

The year 2013 will be marked by the increased integration between localized content, social networking, and mobile innovation. We are already seeing the results of this fast paced evolution, and as our users evolve, we need to keep pace to ensure the best results.

Original Article Available: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/33842.asp

Lauren Johnson from Mobile Commerce Daily discusses retailer Banana Republic’s mobile coupon campaign which drives customers to shop in-store and on their mobile devices. Cezar Kolodziej shares his insights on how measuring redemption rates of a coupon campaign is crucial.

Gap Inc.’s Banana Republic is pulling double duty with a new mobile advertising campaign that entices users to shop either in-store or through their mobile devices.

Banana Republic is driving click-throughs on its ad with a 10 percent off coupon that can be redeemed in-store. The ads are running within the Accuweather iPhone application.

“Coupons have been used for ages to grab the attention of customers and their business,” said Cezar Kolodziej, CEO/president of Iris Mobile, Chicago.

“However, customers that are already engaged with the brand don’t pay much attention whether they get a coupon or not in order to come back and make another purchase,” he said. “Measuring redemption rates of a coupon campaign can really prove the point and identify customer trends that can help to optimize mobile initiatives in the future.”

Mr. Kolodziej is not affiliated with Banana Republic. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Banana Republic did not meet press deadline.

Driving in-store traffic

The banner ads encourage users to tap to receive an 10 percent off of their Banana Republic purchase. The corner of the banner pulls down to show users how many Banana Republic stores are nearby to them.

A full-page ad pulls up when consumers click on the ad that reads, “BR Offer.”

The ad is set up to include three tabs that run along the bottom of the page. The buttons direct users to the coupon, a nearby store or to Banana Republic’s mobile site.

Via the coupon consumers can save 10 percent off of an in-store offer.

The offer contains a bar code that can be scanned at the point-of-sale

Additionally, consumers can save the coupon to their device’s camera roll or email it to themselves. The email contains a link to a mobile microsite.

The location tab lists Banana Republic locations by distance and includes a map that pinpoints a user’s current location to the nearest store.

Furthermore, Banana Republic’s mobile site is pulled in to let consumers browse products and check-out directly from the ad unit.

Buttons at the top of the page link to Banana Republic’s Facebook and Twitter account. Users can then “Like” or follow the brand’s accounts to see what others are saying about the retailer.

The more the merrier?

By loading the ad with both location-based and mobile commerce components, Banana Republic is able to appeal to a wide group of mobile users.Banana Republic’s campaign takes an all-encompassing approach to mobile advertising.

Additionally, offering an incentive in the creative – in this case a coupon – gives users a clear value for interacting with a banner ad.

However, some experts believe that the trick to a successful mobile advertising campaign is to keep it simple.

“Keeping it simple is a key rule we always recommend to our customers,” Mr. Kolodziej said.

“Based on our experience in this space, having too many call-to-actions within a single ad disturbs customers and is challenging to measure results, unless quantitative results are not one of the main objectives of the campaign.”

Original Article Available: http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/banana-republic-segments-users-at-local-level-with-incentivized-mobile-advertising