SMS case study - Warner Bros. and Floyd's 99 Barbershop

By Giselle Tsirulnik

April 14, 2010

Clash of the Titans

Name of marketer 
Warner Bros. Pictures, Burbank, CA, and Floyd’s 99 Barbershop, Denver, CO

Name of mobile marketing agency
Mobile Fusion, Denver, CO

Campaign
"Clash of the Titans" movie text2win

Duration
Feb. 19 – April 11

Common short code and keywords used
Text TITAN to 62407

Objective
The objective was to enhance the brand image and build a text message marketing opt-in list.

Target audience
Males 25-49

Strategy
The strategy was to create excitement by partnering with Warner Bros. for its upcoming movie Clash of the Titans.

Call-to-action
Consumers were asked to text the keyword TITAN to the short code 62407 for a chance to win a trip for two to Greece.

Tactics
The call-to-action was promoted across all channels, including the barbershop's Facebook fan page, Twitter, via email marketing, the Web site, word-of-mouth from barbershop store employees and in-store point-of-sale (POS) material such as mirror clings and countertop displays. There was no need to buy expensive traditional media.

Results
A whopping 3,026 consumers participated in this seven-week text-message marketing campaign, the first-ever for Floyd's 99 Barbershop.

What next
With text-messaging marketing as a lead tactic, the barbershop plans to execute digital marketing with a singular message across channels and customer touch points each month and each quarter for the remainder of 2010.

Lessons learned
Delivering a compelling and fun value proposition while promoting across all digital and offline channels is a best practice.

Surprise finding
Placing a text call-to-action (CTA) on a company’s Facebook fan page and Twitter is a no-brainer. It is free, quick and drives online and mobile engagement from customers, brand advocates and prospects.

Executive’s name, title and company for response attribution 
Rob O'Brien, cofounder of Floyd’s 99 Barbershop

Strategy quote from brand executive
“Through the text2win Clash of the Titans movie promotion, Mobile Fusion is helping us move away from discounting and coupons to extend our brand as fun and engaging,” Mr. O’Brien said.

What challenge did mobile address quote (from same executive above)
“Previously, we were running disjointed marketing campaigns,” he said. “Our Web site, email marketing, Facebook, Twitter and in-store point-of-sale materials were all different. 

“As a result, our marketing communications message was scattered. The text2win component was the glue that connected all of our digital marketing and offline tactics into an integrated campaign.”