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Rascal Flats, Keith Urban, truth tap mobile for live music scene

Mozes recently powered the world tours for country music superstars Keith Urban, Rascal Flats and a free interactive concert in conjunction with truth, a youth smoking prevention campaign.

The concert headlined big-name band Escape The Fate along with Sing It Loud, I Set My Friends On Fire and The Blackout. Partners, imeem and Mozes worked with The Knitting Factory to bring consumers truth's Live Playlist. The entire event was sponsored by truth.

"Truth's Live Playlist was a powerful way for us to bring fans and artists together in a truly interactive live concert experience combining text, voice and the Web like never before," said Andrew Adashek, vice president of interactive media at The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA.

"Music and mobile are intertwined into people's everyday lives and by partnering with Mozes on events such as this and the "Music to Go" series, we are bringing new music experiences and a higher level of engagement between our live shows and the fans via Mozes' trusted, spam-free platform," he said.

The concert was free for those who called in to phone number 310-694-5139 and received a free mobile ticket to the event.

More than 4,500 mobile users called in for additional information on the show or to obtain their mobile ticket.

Moreover, more than 1,500 actually followed through with mobile call-to-action and lined up around the corner of the Knitting Factor to be one of the 600 ticket-holders admitted entrance into the venue.

When doors opened at 6:30 p.m., young music fans poured into the Knitting Factory which had been decorated with truth's iconic orange truth truck and team of anti-smoking crusaders.

The 900 fans who waited in line and never made it to the show did not have much to worry about as they had the opportunity to stream the live concert on truth's official profile on imeem, a social music service.

Truth claims to be the nation's largest youth smoking prevention campaign and the only campaign not powered or directed by the tobacco industry.

The truth crew tries to use fun and subtle ways to get their anti-smoking message out, performing impromptu rap sessions and holding giveaways for truth gear such as bags, t-shirts and bandanas.

This concert is a part of truth's initiative to rename Lung Cancer to Big Tobacco Disease. Truth is using the concert as a platform to let kids experience the tobacco facts in a stimulating environment that they enjoy.

Mozes did not just go for basics in this campaign with the call-to-action but encouraged mobile usage while at the show.

Fans had the chance to text their favorite bands while they were playing and have their SMS message appear on the big screen during the show as well as participate in contests and giveaways.

The truth Live Playlist isn't the only tune that Mozes hums along with as it powers the world tours for country artist powerhouses Rascal Flats and Keith Urban.

"In both cases, the artists are using Mozes as a means to add to the excitement and value of a concert for the fan, and to establish an ongoing connection with the fan afterwards," Mr. Porter said. "It works both ways - fans are also looking to be able to have a close connection with their favorite artists.

"The mobile phone enables a more personal and immediate connection that translates into a more meaningful way for Keith Urban and Rascal Flats to communicate with and engage their fan base," he said.

Mozes began its work with Rascal Flats during his 2007 "Still Feels Good" tour, trying to build awareness around the Rascal Flats name and create a database of mobile fans to stay connected during the band's life.

Mozes' strategy involved promotions using text, voice, radio mentions and live contact with fans during shows.

Fans could opt-in at concerts to text message Rascal Flats during the show and have their SMS message appear on the jumbo screen.

Fans also had the option of leaving a voice message for their idols.

In the radio portion of the interactive campaign, fans were given a keyword to enter a contest to win signed CDs.

In every aspect of the mobile campaign, fans were asked to opt-in to the Rascal Flats mobile fan club to stay up-to-date with the band's news.

This campaign resulted in two people's choice awards and more than 145,000 members joining the mobile fan club in less than a year.

"Music is already a very personal medium, and the mobile phone represents that one to one connection better than broadcast, email or other forms of communication," said Dorrian Porter, founder/CEO of Mozes, Palo Alto, CA.

"In addition, the ability to use mobile engagement at concerts adds to the immediacy and excitement of an event - creating a connection at the point of inspiration," he said. "Outside of shows, fans value receiving the latest information and news from their favorite artists directly.

"Naturally, mobile has much more potential outside of music and can relate to anything a particular person wants to connect with or learn more about, but it is not a surprise that the popularity and pervasiveness of music means that it should be the first area of successful mobile engagement."