Sneak To Offer SMS Interactivity
Emap’s new teen gossip weekly, Sneak, is to tap into the earning potential of the SMS texting craze by introducing an SMS gossip service for readers which will enable Emap to build a user database which could later be used by advertisers.
The SMS gossip service will launch along with the magazine on 30 April (see Emap Teen Titles To Aid Sneak Launch). Readers will be able to dial a number then key in the name of any one of 100 celebrities to recieve a bounce back gossip message which will only cost the price of a standard text message.
This service will be limited to the launch period, but following this, readers will be encouraged to join a text club for 25p, which enables them to choose daily, three-times-weekly or weekly gossip alerts. Each message will cost 25p to receive.
Further SMS reader interaction opportunities will include entry to competitions, voting in polls and “have your say” pieces. The information gained from the text club will enable Emap to build up a database of users in the teen market.
Andrea Kilbourne, managing director of Emap Performance Online, said: “For today’s teens the mobile phone is the communication medium of choice, so text messaging should be an integral part of what Sneak is all about. Sneak’s SMS database will be valuable property at the centre of the teen opinion forming circle. It is a resource that would be made available to relevant advertisers in the future. The text club is also something which could be sponsored by the right advertiser.”
Gossip and interactivity are also to form the main emphasis of the magazine’s accompanying website, www.sneakmagazine.com. Users will be encouraged to send in their own gossip, which will be verified before being posted on the site.
The first interactive advertiser in the magazine will be Tango. An advertorial featuring screen grabs from the current TV campaign will appear in the launch issue of the magazine. Readers will be invited to text the answer to a multiple choice question, with the first 50 correct entries winning Tango merchandise.
Rory Bett, Emap’s director of youth magazines, said: “The Tango multimedia advertorial is a great way to kick start Sneak’s life. The creative possibilities for Sneak don’t stop at the [weekly] freqency. There are numerous sponsorship opportunities crossing TV, online and radio not to mention third party tie-ups being discussed with all sectors of the advertising spectrum.”
Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.co.uk
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