Domino’s Pizza - Mobile commerce growing at astounding rate

Domino’s Pizza is driving traffic to its newly optimized mobile Web site with mobile advertising and seeing a surge in revenue from its mobile commerce platform.

While the pizza franchise continues to invest heavily in traditional media, it has seen significant growth from its mobile initiatives and plans to increase its investment in the mobile channel going forward. In addition to promoting its mobile site on Dominos.com and via email blasts, the company partners with mobile ad networks and with publishers directly to run banner ads across most of the top 10 mobile Web sites in the United States, including Pandora, ESPN and CNN.

“Mobile is a rapidly growing segment of our business, one that we expect to grow for years to come,” said Rob Weisberg, vice president of multimedia marketing at Domino’s Pizza, Ann Arbor, MI. “A major growth agent for our company over the last few years has been online ordering in the digital space. “A lot of what we get to see that’s occurring in our Asian markets and places like Iceland—mass consumer adoption of mobile commerce—it’s a crystal ball for what’s to come in the U.S. market.”

Mobile coupons have been increasingly relevant for consumers—and thus an increasingly effective tool for brands—during the current recession. Domino’s mobile coupons are tailored to consumers’ ordering history and are often time-sensitive. “We send out coupons via SMS that are relevant to you as an individual, an offer that’s strong and takes you to the site and all you have to do is hit confirm,” Mr. Weisberg said. “As far as our system-wide average, 85 percent of our business is delivery, and because of that, we know who you are, your name, address, phone number and what you’ve ordered in the past..

“By opting-in to receive these communications, you’re ensuring that you’ll receive the strongest deals Domino’s has to offer, mobile coupons that link directly back to our mobile ordering site,” he said. “In terms of ease and convenience of the transaction, mobile commerce can’t be beat.”

Domino’s believes that the importance of the mobile channel for its bottom line will only continue to grow.
“What gets us excited about the mobile space? You walk out of your home with your wallet, your keys and a third-screen—the three screens are TVs, computers and smartphones with a data plan,” Mr. Weisberg said.
“People are taking that third screen wherever they go, and mobile phones are one of the few things that aren’t shared, so we know exactly who we’re talking to via that mobile device,” he said. The hectic pace of modern life also makes mobile an indispensible channel for businesses. “Consumers are time starved, and as far as making meal decisions, 72 percent of consumers don’t know what they’re going to have for dinner at 4:30 p.m.,” Mr. Weisberg said. “Most people don’t plan that far ahead because of the time-starved nature of the world today, so our goal is to connect with consumers around that time of day, which is a major objective for quick-service restaurant companies like us. “The mobile screen is an opportunity to engage with them in a way that is relevant to them via SMS offers, mobile coupons,” he said. From Mobile Marketer at http://bit.ly/16Otap

For more information contact Andrew at damico@zipstripe.com

Hot Sauce SMS campaign sees 58 percent double opt-in

Baumer Foods' Crystal Hot Sauce ran a mobile campaign to build an opt-in mobile database of New Orleans Saints fans  for highly-targeted future marketing efforts - Crystal Hot Sauce used mobile as a means of creating an exciting brand image and building awareness among the 23-54 year old male sports-fan demographic

To accomplish this, Crystal Hot Sauce ran promotional spots as well as in-game telecast mentions on Cox Media’s CST network, during Saints’ games, prompting viewers to text to win a signed jersey and Crystal Hot Sauce gift pack. ”Crystal Hot Sauce and Baumer Foods are happy to be using mobile text advertising and the results speak for themselves,” said Tina Stubbs, marketing director at Crystal Hot Sauce, Metairie, LA. “We had an overwhelming response to our text sweepstakes and look forward to engaging with our customers, new and old, via this new marketing outlet.”

The results were astounding. On one Saturday alone, the campaign received in excess of 4,700 responses, and more than 54 percent of respondents double opted-in for future offers. To date this campaign has received more than 8,200 responses and achieved a double-opt-in rate of more than 58 percent.
 For more information contact Andrew at andrew@zipstripe.com

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