How do you get new recruits of the US Army to engage in mobile? You deliver engaging content directly to user devices without any additional steps.  The campaign resulted in an open rate of 99.8% with 64.5% of handsets being feature phones. Iris Mobile collaborated with McCann-Erickson to create a campaign that would enable all potential recruits to request more information regarding the US Army via Rich Media Messaging.

How did the campaign work? The US Army placed collateral material directing users to text to a short code for further information. The potential recruit then texted for the request to receive a video promotion for the US Army and a link directing the user to get more information regarding the program. The video was delivered directly to any handset without a data plan at standard messaging rates. There was nothing to install, and nothing to scan in order for this campaign to work. As a result, there were limited drop off points for the user engagement and the results seen are quite impressive.

There is also a difference between the implementation of a push vs. pull campaign. The success garnered for this campaign combined a push element (Rich Media Messaging) which drove traffic to a pull element (Mobile Website). The two methodologies used in conjunction really harness the power of mobile and allow the user to fully engage and control the experience thus ensuring overall campaign success.

The premise behind this campaign was to have a detailed understanding of the audience, and create an optimal user engagement experience to generate results.  Before creating a mobile campaign, it is imperative to understand the devices in your target audiences’ pocket, how they use them and the best way to deliver engaging content to ensure user gratification and overall campaign success.