Viacom Launches Outdoor SMS Initiative

Viacom Outdoor has launched a new initiative allowing advertisers to combine outdoor advertising with SMS technology in a single package.

The Txt2Go service has been designed to allow advertisers to establish long term relationships with consumers, who will be able to respond to outdoor campaigns by choosing to receive further information via text messages or be passed on to an advertiser’s call centre.

Viacom is offering all of its major advertisers a full trial of the system during January and February 2002. The offer covers all set up, design and text management for 20,000 two-way text interactions, which will “target people on the move when a mobile phone is readily to hand.”

Viacom Outdoor’s marketing and communications manager, Hannah Skelhorn, said: “SMS is a powerful communication channel that takes Outdoor advertising to the next level. The branding capabilities of Outdoor are well established and by combining it with SMS an advertiser can achieve the benefits of a branded direct response in an instant.”

The launch of the service follows the success of campaigns in the Republic of Ireland, which according to Viacom, were successful in providing a one-stop-shop for advertisers looking to facilitate a direct response mechanism via their outdoor campaign.

The company is currently in discussions with a number of SMS operators including m-wise, AdreAct and Flytxt with a view to securing partners for an upcoming bus advertising promotion and future SMS campaigns.

Viacom: 020 7482 3000 www.viacom-outdoor.co.uk

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