Software giant Adobe Systems Inc. used the mobile channel to engage with attendees of its annual MAX Conference.

The Adobe MAX team's goal was to deliver a tactile and stimulating experience for the company's Customer Appreciation Event to entertain and educate attendees and get them to interact with their surroundings. To accomplish this, Adobe teamed up with Branduin Creative, an experiential marketing/event production agency, and mobile marketing company 2ergo.

"The purpose of the Adobe MAX Texting Challenge was to help facilitate optimal event flow by encouraging guests at the large-scale Adobe MAX Customer Appreciation Event to explore both of the event's venues -- the California Academy of Sciences and the De Young, a world-renowned art museum," said Jim Shilale, Arlington, VA-based vice president of business development at 2ergo.

"The challenge encouraged guests to use their mobile phones to answer questions about the exhibits, the conference and other Adobe-related trivia for a chance to win Adobe products," he said.

"Texting code words were printed on boards scattered throughout both venues and guided guests on a game of discovery and trivia via their mobile phones."

Adobe's MAX Conference provides an opportunity for Adobe users to connect with designers, developers, partners, executives and Adobe staff for education and networking.

The adjunct Customer Appreciation Event is a forum designed to establish brand identity, deepen ties with users and demonstrate Adobe's committment to its customer base.

Branduin Creative's answer was delivered via a scavenger hunt enabled by SMS, letting guests interact, play and be inspired by both science and art.

The event took place at two of the most acclaimed museums in the world -- the new California Academy of Sciences and San Francisco's renowned De Young.

One of the goals was to encourage Adobe's guests to explore both spaces and ensure proper flow at a large-scale event.

This was the first time these two venues had been used simultaneously for one cohesive event, and the Branduin team wanted to ensure that guests could experience the confluence of two diametrically different disciplines -- art and science.

To accomplish this goal, Adobe and Branduin turned to 2ergo, a provider of mobile enabling technology, to develop the "Adobe MAX Texting Challenge."

Using mobile phones, guests answered specific queries about the exhibits, the conference and other Adobe-related trivia for a chance to win Adobe products.

From the depths of the underground aquarium to the highest point in the De Young tower, texting code words were printed on boards scattered throughout both venues and guided guests on a game of discovery and trivia via their mobile phones.

The SMS-driven game proved to be a huge success with the 3,000 event attendees, according to Branduin Creative.

More than 30 percent of the guests participated, answering approximately 2,300 questions in an attempt to win one of the grand prizes, which included a valuable suite of Adobe software products.

The SMS game allowed Adobe to engage its users in an entertaining fashion and reinforce its brand, according to Branduin Creative.

"The way in which SMS communication was integrated into the challenge provided an entertaining level of engagement that made attendees feel actively involved in the event," Mr. Shilale said.

"Plus, using the mobile phone as an alternative to pen and paper was more convenient for the guests and provided immediate feedback," he said.

The agency claims that it witnessed a lot of networking as attendees were comparing notes on different questions while they explored the two museums.

In the digital age, and especially for Adobe's users, this mobile game was much more innovative and exciting than traditional tools, according to Branduin Creative.

Adobe's use of mobile devices and texting to ensure optimal event flow at last year's Adobe MAX Customer Appreciation Event.

"This was the first time the California Academy of Sciences and the De Young Museum had been used simultaneously for a single, cohesive event," Mr. Shilale said. "Branduin, the event production agency, provided the idea to use a texting challenge to improve event flow through both venues, while 2ergo supplied the mobile technology to turn the idea into reality.

"Branduin used 2ergo's Mobile Messaging Manager to create, execute and track the SMS challenge flawlessly, ensuring that guests were not only entertained, but were also able to actively experience the distinct characteristics of both unique venues," he said.