• by Steve Smith , Staff Writer @popeyesm, July 20, 2006

Text messaging is all the rage, but sometimes a simple dial-in remains the best way to connect with consumers. In a remarkably effective example of in-event mobile marketing, 57 percent of eligible cell phone users at the Tyson American Cup international gymnastics competition this year called into an on-scene contest for a prized mat-side seat. Responding to a simple offer for a better view of the show, a majority of adults used the Tyson 800 number to connect to an interactive voice message featuring gymnast Chellsie Memmel. The instant winner got a callback and was called down to the floor, while everyone else received a recorded thank-you call from Memmel.

“[The client] wanted a very pragmatic approach to the opt-in side of the business,” says Stephen Randall, CEO, LocaModa, which helped design the promotion. Tyson senior vice president and CMO Bob Corscadden says, “This technology allowed us to effectively amplify the Tyson presence in the arena and initiate a dialog with more than half the families in attendance.”