Welcome to guerrilla marketing meets social media. For less than $30, you can create a marketing tool that automates permission-based text messaging. All from a t-shirt.
Here’s how it works. I went to Reactee and designed my message based t-shirt. My message? “Do you want to be branded?”
I then select DrewMc as my keyword.
The shirt design software automatically adds the short code (instead of texting to a full phone number, you just text to 41411).
I then write the message (120 characters max) that I would like sent to anyone who text messages my shirt. By the way, I can change that message as often as I’d like.
So let’s see how it plays out.
I am walking down the street and you see me. You wonder what the heck my shirt means or maybe you really want to know more about branding. So you whip out your cell phone and enter the number 41411 and in the message area, you key in DrewMc (with no period).
Almost instantaneously, you receive a text message back from me. Go on, try it. Yes…I really bought the shirt. Be an explorer — give it a try.
Sounds frivolous? Maybe not.
Imagine an entire team wearing these shirts on a trade show floor. Or a new business pitch. Or a candidate’s campaign team. (Remember you can change the message on the fly from a cell phone.) Or at a non-profit walk or charity event.
Come on, call me and check out my message. And then, let’s get creative. How could you use this as a marketing tactic?
Tags: guerrilla_marketing, permission_based, social_media, t-shirt, text_messaging
Nice post, Drew. I wrote about the same thing on Monday – http://brainsonfire.com/blog/interactive-t-shirts/
All right! Now I can carry Drew with me everywhere I go. He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.
Sending now… I dig it so far.
Dang! I got a response before I even finished the above sentence!
[gears churning]
Thanks, Drew!
I applaud the effort to mesh guerrilla marketing with new media but I don’t think this tactic is very useful for most businesses. There are other more viable options available.
This however could be successful if your target audience are teens and pre-teens.
Too Cool, Drew! I love it!
Too Cool, Drew! I love it!
Thanks for the heads up on this idea. It really ties in with a campaign idea that I’m formulating. You have provided me with one more piece of the puzzle.
I will also disagree with the comment above. I think, used properly, this easily targets an older demographic.
This is brilliant idea and one of those – damn if I had only thought about this.
I agree with the ealrier post. My mother in law who is in her late 50s loves to text message. She would be all over this.
Sorry about the comment blow up. No wireless at FOOA conference – on the BlackBerry browser. Not ver efficient commenting.
Very cool but seems more like a “trick” to me – I could think of a couple uses for it though. Will have to see how it goes.
I love the idea of a charity event or fundraising leveraging something like this… it adds a call to action to event shirts as in “Text to Donate.”
p.s. to Matt — I removed your excessive commenting!
Drew,
That’s great! Ironically, I was looking into a different T-Shirt service for my site last night. This might be worth looking into as well.
-Pat
Spike — but did you buy the t-shirt? ;}
Seriously…do you see marketing applications for this? How might you use it?
Drew
Lewis,
Amen to that! I can see that this has some actual marketing applications.
Can you see how this might serve a function for your clients?
Drew
Cam,
In your world…how might you use this?
I keep envisioning handing them out at a trade show or event. Imagine 1,000 people walking around downtown Chicago or NYC wearing your shirt and triggering this cascade of text messages.
What do you think?
Drew
Michael,
You know, I’m not sure I agree. I think most people in their 40’s and younger are pretty comfortable with texting technologies.
They either use them at work or have kids who “force” them into learning how to do it just to keep tabs on them.
I think we’d be surprised how many baby boomers are even texting.
But…let’s assume you are correct. That assumption only holds water for another 5-10 years. Today’s 20 year olds will be the next decade’s marketing managers and higher disposable income spenders.
Drew
Drew – My first instinct is to print a keyword and address onto the tag of custom t-shirts. The return message could be reorder and contact instructions.
Cory — Imagine the fun we could have with this.
But, do you see practical applications?
Drew
Nic,
I’d love to hear more about the project you’re currently working on.
When it’s ready to go public, it would be cool to talk about — sort of like a learning lab!
Drew
Matt H — yes, I thought the same thing. I do wonder how they afford the text messaging costs or how that works.
Someone must be paying for it.
Drew
Matt A –
A trick? How so? You mean that the answer is sort of a “psych?”
Let’s say the shirt said: What mower cuts work in 1/2?
And then the answer drove you to a website where you could get a trade show special price on some new mowing machine.
Would that still feel like a trick?
Drew
Ann,
Very true…it could text them a link to a donor site where they could pay online.
I think we’re probably just scratching the surface of what can be done.
Especially since the outgoing message can be changed on the fly.
Drew
Pat,
Were you looking at the other t-shirt site because you were going to write about it or you wanted to make shirts for your site?
Drew
You know…it’s crazy enough to try. Yesterday, while driving on The Beltway, I got passed by a van with a promotion its rear window … “Ask me about the power of online advertising”.
So why shouldn’t a marketing consultant use this unique little item to catch the eye of potential clients? Hell, I have wasted $25 on what appeared to be much wiser decisions that failed to pay off (ask me about yesterday’s lunch!)
Yeah, this is pretty cool Drew. Trade shows come to my mind immediately.
Pat,
I think that’s the beauty of many viral marketing tactics. The price of entry is so small why not give it a spin?
Drew
Jim,
Or you know those supermarket ladies or the people in the liquor store who hand out the wine samples?
Could be a whole new way of couponing.
Lots of possibilities. It will be interesting to see if this gets picked up.
Drew
Way to go Drew on making the top 5!
Elizabeth,
Thanks for the shout out! Come back and comment on my next article and we’ll see if we can continue the trend!
I actually don’t get the credit– you readers do. Without comments, the conversation is pretty dull!
Drew