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Yamaha SMS program sees 400 percent increase in uptake

Since launching its mobile sweepstakes earlier this month, Yamaha Watercraft said that it has seen about a 400 percent increase in consumers signing up for its SMS alerts program.

Yamaha also said that it has seen an average of one consumer sign-up every eight minutes. The sweepstakes gives consumers a weekly chance to win a water-sports accessory such as wakeboard, as well as the grand prize ? a 2010 Yamaha VX Cruiser.

?We definitely are trying to find a better way to connect with our customers,? said Bryan Seti, vice president of marketing at Yamaha Watercraft, Kennesaw, GA. ?With a lot of the traditional media promotions we?ve done in the past, we put the message out there and it reached about 3-4 percent of our customers.

?That isn?t good enough anymore,? he said.

Yamaha Watercraft produces Yamaha Boats and WaveRunner personal watercrafts and is a division of Yamaha Motor Co.

Consumers can enter the sweepstakes twice if they sign up for both the Yamaha WaveRunner and Yamaha Boats mobile alert systems. The sweepstakes was launched to drive opt-ins to Yamaha?s new SMS alerts.

To enter, consumers have to opt-in, either through a link on the Yamaha Web site, or by texting the keyword WAVE to short code 70734 to subscribe to Yamaha WaveRunner?s mobile services, or text the keyword BOAT to 70734 to subscribe to Yamaha Boat?s mobile services.

Yamaha?s mobile services let consumers receive text message alerts with the latest news, product information, promotions and incentives, and new accessories right to their devices.

Mr. Seti said that the Yamaha alerts also feature third-party content, such as reviews from sites not owned by Yamaha.

?We?ve included third-party endorsements of our products, so we?re not just hitting consumers with Yamaha propaganda,? Mr. Seti said. ?I think that?s where other companies probably fail.?

Each alert comes in the form of an SMS message with a link to the company?s WAP site at http://yamahaboats.mobi.

Weekly sweepstakes prizes have a retail value ranging from approximately $100-$400. Some of the prizes are a kneeboard, two-person cockpit style tube and wakeboard with bindings.

The Yamaha mobile sweepstakes ends Dec. 16 when Yamaha draws the mobile number of the consumer who will win the 2010 Yamaha VX Cruiser grand prize.

Mr. Seti said that launching a mobile campaign was a way to help Yamaha reach a younger audience. It is Yamaha?s hope that when they reach a younger consumer base, that base will grow with the company and continue to use its products.

Yamaha said that it sees the potential to mount successful localized weekend events with the mobile platform and its new mobile consumer database.

?With mobile we?re able to reach out and communicate different programs and event activities to consumers,? Mr. Seti said. ?We are allowing them to build a relationship with the info they are interested in and we want to be able to not just sell products, but also build experiences to enhance a consumer?s time with the products on water.?