NY Mets launches SMS MLB campaign

The New York Mets have launched an in-stadium mobile campaign, sponsored by Xerox, Wise, Caesar’s and Verizon Wireless, for the 2009 Major League Baseball season and beyond.

The campaigns include a variety of sponsor-driven promotions as a means to engage fans and make the Citi Field experience even more fun and enjoyable. Mobile promotions run at all home games with SMS calls-to-action on the video board offering an opportunity for the fans to interact with the team and its sponsors.

“The Mets had a deal with Xerox, which wanted to be able to do a bunch of interactive mobile concepts to engage fans during the game, and Verizon, Xerox and the Mets agreed to do a cobranded graphic on the video screen,” said Michael Falato, vice president of sales and business development at Txtstation, Austin, TX.

Snack-food giant Wise sponsors the “Eighth-Inning Sing-Along,” with a call-to-action urging fans to vote using their handsets, texting their preferred keyword to a short code to weigh in to decide what song should be played during the 8th-inning break.

Luxury hotel and casino Caesar's Palace sponsors the Mets’ “Fan Forum,” letting fans send in user-generated content via text messages, giving fans the chance to express their take on a pre-determined subject.

“Txt-of-War” is another mobile featurewith an SMS voting format that pits opposing sides against each other. For example, fans have to choose between various keywords in a poll that compares interaction rates—the left side of stadium versus the right side or which state (NY, NJ or CT) has the best fans.

For each of the above promotions, voting results and content are displayed in real time on the video board in high definition, thus providing an interactive atmosphere for fans and brands.

“Participation has been great, and these guys at the Mets know how to activate a campaign, they know how to engage fans,” Mr. Falato said. “They’re getting fans excited the about mobile polls and other text-messaging initiatives we’re doing with them. From Mobile Marketer at http://bit.ly/IzGgr

For more information contact Andrew at damico@zipstripe.com