Florida Diamond District adds 1,200 consumers to mobile database

By Dan Butcher

October 30, 2009

Adz2Mobile and iLoop Mobile help the Diamond District go mobile

The Diamond District in southwestern Florida has been running mobile programs to build a database and drive consumers to�its showroom.

To power its mobile initiatives, the diamond retailer tapped Adz2Mobile LLC, which in turn partners with iLoop Mobile for its technology back-end. The partners collaborated on a promotion that offered consumers the chance to text a keyword in to a short code for a chance to win a one-carat diamond, which allowed the client to build its database quickly.

�They�ve seen new faces come in the door they haven�t seen before, and they�re also keeping current customers engaged and having them come back in more often,� said Bruce Hershey II, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Adz2Mobile, Naples, FL.

�They�ve opened up a new demographic, but it�s also a way for them to keep top-of-mind awareness with their clients via the mobile phone on their hip at all times,� he said.

Adz2Mobile added the mobile call-to-action to participate in the promotion to different elements of the media�the Diamond District was already using, such as television, radio, their email database, their Facebook fan page, print and outdoor.

The Diamond District issues mobile calls-to-action across various media, including Facebook...

In addition, trucks around town carried the SMS call-to-action on the back panel.

The call-to-action urged consumers to text a keyword such as DD to the short code 47201. Adz2Mobile used a different keyword on each of the mediums in order to track them and figure out which was most successful.

�We tracked the response rates for each medium to show the Diamond District where was the best place to put their dollars for the next blitz,� Mr. Hershey said.

...and on the back of trucks

After consumers texted-in initially, they were asked to reply Y to join the Diamond District�s SMS club.

Adz2Mobile claims that over the course of 60 days, southwestern Florida�s Diamond District added 1,200 people to its mobile database.

Southwestern Florida�s Diamond District also launched a WAP site. Once consumers double-opted-in to join the SMS club, they received a �thank you for joining� message and a link driving people to explore the WAP site.

�During this time we have been working on building a mobile database that can be used to drive consumers back to the showroom and to stay top-of-mind when looking to purchase diamond jewelry,� Mr. Hershey said. �Now that the database has been built, it�s time to engage them back to the showroom.�

Since the Diamond District has a strong male demographic, the Adz2Mobile creative team came up with an SMS Mobile football quiz that would engage the mobile database and drive them back to the showroom.

The Diamond District issued the call-to-action �Text FB to 47201� for consumers to participate in the quiz. In respone, Adz2Mobile asked them to pick the NFL teams that they thought would win that week.

If they picked all four winners, they would receive a $250 Diamond District gift card. This was part of the Diamond District�s strategy to engage consumers, thereby increasing consumer loyalty and driving purchases.

�We laid out the template, they picked the teams and we were off with our first mobile football quiz that started on week one of pro football,� Mr. Hershey said. �The first week started off OK with about 52 percent redemption, but now it�s six weeks later and we are seeing as high 79 percent participation from the database with sales and enthusiasm growing daily.

�Now they can�t wait until they receive that alert on Saturday driving them to take the Diamond District Football quiz,� he said. �It has become hyped up, not just with mobile but also in the store and on the social network sites they use.�

�It can be any segment out there, but you have to be able to define what�s going to engage the consumer�that�s what it�s about�so we used football to appeal to men and women are competing against their husbands as well.�

Consumers have until Dec. 31 to redeem their gift cards. However, the showroom is already seeing consumers redeeming their gift cards and buying jewelry, according to the Diamond District.

Adz2Mobile claims that the mobile campaigns have been an effective tool for the Diamond District.

�About 15 percent of participants are buying immediately and the rest are coming back and making purchases at a later time,� Mr. Hershey said. �It�s increasing their sales.

�They just opened up new location, and they had a large purchase come in from the text club and they were excited about it,� he said.