I noticed that Volvo have got a new TV campaign out, selling their new s60 model. The idea of the ad is to talk you through all the clichés that car advertisers typically use and then tick them off one by one. This is quite effective and the car certainly looks the part.
The ad includes an sms response mechanic so that you can find out more. Sadly this is another example of where the automotive industry has so nearly implemented a good mobile marketing strategy. The ad asks you to text PURR to 84880. This is a good idea; allow the consumer to respond, capture some data and begin a sales process. The bad news is that the instructions appear on screen for about 4 seconds. This isn’t nearly enough time to register both the keyword and the short code. You’d barely have time to grab your phone before the message was gone.
This really is a mobile marketing own goal. They’ve done the hard bit by agreeing the text response mechanic then they’ve stuffed it up by putting up the instructions too late on in the ad. Perhaps a creative whizz at the agency thought that putting the text up for any longer would distract the viewer from the beautiful imagery.
I think Volvo should take a look at how the charity sector deploys mobile marketing and specifically, sms response. For charities, being able to track response directly from their advertising is crucial as it allows them to focus their spend on the channels that work best for them. For them it’s a pure ROI exercise.
So it’s a case of ‘so near and yet so far’ for Volvo and their involvement in mobile marketing, It would be fascinating to know how may people have actually managed to respond to their campaign by text. I suspect it’s very few.
We’d love to chat to you about how mobile marketing might be used in your organisation. The costs for getting started are surprisingly low and the response rate outperform other marketing channels. Please feel free to call us on 0117 205 0202.