CBS Outdoor: Enhance Ads Via SMS

by Erik Sass , May 26, 2009

CBS Outdoor is launching a new service, txt2go, that offers advertisers more precise measurement of consumer response to outdoor advertising through mobile interactivity.

Advertisers include a text keyword in outdoor display advertising that consumers can send via SMS on their handheld device to take advantage of special offers or promotions, or simply get more information about the product or service being advertised. By including unique text codes on different billboards, advertisers can track the effectiveness of individual signage placements.

The new service, built and operated by Rip Road, enables a number of marketing strategies, including mobile coupons, sweepstakes, direct response and point-of-purchase promotions. Beyond measuring consumer response to outdoor advertising, txt2go also allows advertisers to build databases of information about the consumers who respond to the ads.

Jodi Senese, the executive vice president of marketing for CBS Outdoor, says the service gives "our clients ways to further engage consumers."

Out-of-home advertising is seeing the convergence of several trends enabled by new technologies.

Digital out-of-home displays are offering advertisers more options, including video, multiple displays and continuous testing of different ad creatives during an ongoing campaign. Plus, the development of mobile communications allows far more precise measurement of outdoor advertising effectiveness by gauging consumer response.

Together, the dynamic, interactive capabilities of digital platforms promise a level of measurement that could make outdoor advertising competitive with online ad campaigns -- which have become the bane of most traditional media.

digital-out-of-home, mobile

6 comments about "CBS Outdoor: Enhance Ads Via SMS ".

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Jonathan Brown from TechTarget - Windows Media Group, May 27, 2009 at 8:14 a.m.
Texting while driving is illegal in some / most states. How long will it take a lawyer to sue the outdoor ad folks for aiding and abetting a criminal activity that can cause accidents, injuries, and / or death? Hate to be a downer about this, but there is some real risk here.
Reply

John Grono from GAP Research, May 27, 2009 at 8:44 a.m.

Here in Australia we only use this capability in bus shelters, pedestrian mall units, retail and airports. No issue.

Brent Walker from Soundscapes, May 27, 2009 at 11:10 a.m.

Really? Asking drivers to text behind the wheel? Does CBS's sense of responsibility only go as far as the next dollar? Expect trouble.

John Capone from Whalebone, May 27, 2009 at 2:34 p.m.

Driving and texting is undoubtedly quite dangerous. but aren't there passengers in these cars as well? They might just have phones too.

Scott Kline from AdHeadz, May 28, 2009 at 10:15 a.m.

It is clear that consumers are driven by promotions in the physical world to use the cell phone as a direct response mechanism.

We continue to see Mobile Response rates higher than 15% when Brands run radio, TV and traditional advertising with their Mobile Tag like "Text BMW to 51684 for More Information".

And, applications like TEXT2CHAT and TEXT2CALL allow brands to have REAL-TIME, one-on-one conversations with consumers using text messaging.

TEXT2CHAT is simply a text message based version of Chat/Instant Messaging - where a sales rep or call center agent can converse with multiple people on their cell phones, right from their computer.

For an example of TEXT2CHAT, text REP to 51684 on your cell phone.

TEXT2CALL automatically generates a two-party phone call between the person sending a text message and the sales rep or call center agent.

For an example of TEXT2CALL text BMW to 51684 on your cell phone.

The increase of Mobile Tagging, where marketers add their brands’ Keyword and Short Code (like 'BMW to 51684 for More Information") onto their brochures, collateral, Out of Home, and other marketing outreach, is similar to the use of URL tagging which happened at the onset of the Internet.

Happy Texting! - Scott

Howie Goldfarb from Blue Star Strategic Marketing, September 14, 2009 at 10:21 a.m.

I know I am late to the party here. The one aspect of this article that concerns me was CBS desiring to compile a data base....without saying what that data base is composed of. Are they saving people's phone numbers for future contact? (VERY BAD!) or are they using anonymous metrics to analyze behavior and improve their product? (VERY GOOD!)