CBS Outdoors Launches Txt2Go
Outdoor advertising is a medium that continues to expand the ways in which technology is integrated and utilized. Over the past couple of years, billboards have grown in both size and digital capabilities and now CBS Outdoor is launching a new service to offer clients a way to increase their outdoor brand experience. The service is called Txt2Go, and it allows CBS Outdoor advertisers the opportunity to include a text keyword in outdoor displays. Consumers who view the special text keyword can SMS it back to the advertiser via their mobile phone to take advantage of any additional content advertisers wants to communicate.
The technology to handle the text message client communications will be done by Rip Road, a mobile advertising company. Advertisers who take advantage of the additional outdoor capabilities can deploy a number of marketing strategies featuring mobile coupons, sweepstakes, direct response and point-of-purchase promotional tactics. CBS Outdoor is offering a chance for clients to not only attract their audience’s attention but to capture it. Typically, but not always the case, billboards are used to help make consumers aware of a product. Now, advertisers are going to have a way to continue the conversation beyond just a product’s introduction.
Another gigantic advantage of Txt2Go is that it allows advertisers to track the effectiveness of their outdoor displays with real statistical information. Imagine Dunkin Donuts billboards in Boston featuring a keyword of “ice”, that offered consumers the chance to get $0.25 off their next ice coffee purchase. Dunkin Donuts would be able to view how many people opted into their promotion, how old the individuals were, if they were male or female and how many times it helped drive traffic into their stores. If Dunkin Donuts placed multiple billboards in multiple locations with different words then they would be able to see if certain locations outperformed others.
As outdoor billboards continue to embrace technology they will provide advertisers with more options. This is a trend that will continue to happen as long as clients expect more from their advertising agencies in terms of both creativity and statistical results. As the capabilities of the mobile phone continue to grow keep an eye on how it will impact, affect or enhance traditional marketing tactics.
Tags: CBS Outdoor, Outdoor advertising, SMS, Txt2Go
