Blonde Productions Group

In romantic relationships, the most ominous words spoken are “We have to talk.” Those four one-syllable words send men to their caves and prompt women to convene to discuss his inability to communicate.

Now that science has been taken to a whole new level: According to Nielsen Mobile, the second quarter of 2008 was the second consecutive quarter in which the average number of text messages sent was significantly higher than the average number of phone calls placed. While the number of calls has remained steady, text messages have soared-up 450% in the last two years.

The division in demographics has never been more apparent in the texting growth. Not surprisingly the 13 - 17 year-old group sent an average of 1,742 texts per month compared to 2,331 voice calls.

As cryptic as text messages can be, they’re now the preferred vehicle for transmitting communication. Void of sentence structure, proper grammar and sans the benefit of intonation, text messages are what young people today rely on. The critical mass of youngsters using near code to establish plans, convey emotions and transact financial matters (see www.mocapay.com) should send an alert to marketing experts to trim their message, focus on the call to action, and at all costs be brief.

Consider the crash of US Airways Flight 1549. Passengers instructed to prepare for a crash landing simultaneously tucked down while furiously texting loved ones to say goodbye in anticipation of not living through the Hudson River landing. Their relatives were among the first to hear the news that the airbus was crashing…even before it hit the water.

For a short course in concise messaging, contact Blonde Productions Group (www.blondeproductionsgroup.com) at 720-221-7126.

U hear?

When Barack Obama announced his choice for Vice President, the message was spread via approximately 2.9 million texts-the largest mobile marketing event in history. In one push of the “Send” button, Obama’s campaign revolutionized advertising technology.

In early 2008, the platform for Obama’s text campaign was launched during Super Bowl, the championship of NFL, also the championship of advertising campaigns. The ad promoted to viewers that they could text to Obama (62262) to receive future text updates from the campaign. Instantly, the assembled football fans were recruited. Their text contacts were now in the hands of the Obama campaign and they were on record as potential volunteers and/or voters.

Popularized by this event, mobile-marketing is without a doubt the future of advertising.  Companies like Gap and Allstate Insurance have taken the lead in text advertising.  Savvy enterprise had grasped that mobile marketing and social networking sites enabled them to communicate to a broad audience for little cost.

Blonde Productions Group (www.blondeproductionsgroup.com) calls this new medium “textology” both because it is short for text technology and because it recognizes the science of text message marketing. “Texting is the way to reach consumers 40 and under,” says Nancy Clark, president of Blonde Productions Group, a member of Unleaded Group in Denver, CO.

Textology isn’t just for industry giants; it can be utilized by any size of business. It is important to offer an incentive for the consumer to sign up for these updates.  In Obama’s case, it was the first release of information that appealed to audiences. A retail company can promote special offers or sales. Another angle is to text new releases of information-if your cupcake company releases a new flavored frosting, it’s worthy of a text release, especially if you add a call to action like: one free cupcake when you buy one dozen.

Caution: Don’t overdo text promotions by sending too many or sending insignificant information because recipients will want off the list. If your texts are timely, relevant and worth the customers’ time, they’ll be well received and they’ll drive extra business.

This type of communication is not only fast and direct, it is also easy.  You can create one sentence-long text and send it to everyone on your list at one time.  According to Time Magazine voters under age 25 contributed nearly 17,000 of Obama’s votes-significant in that he won the election by under 20,000 votes.

The demographic of young adults has adopted texting and technology to stay connected. This is the antithesis of first generation marketing using internet which underscored the anonymity of the internet space versus the community-building sense that facebook.com and other social networking sites offer. To this younger group in particular the connection is in the familiarity. Really. Friends text friends, so it just makes sense then that texts are bonds of friendship.

Consult with Blonde Productions Group’s textology experts to find out how to make your message most effective and how and when to send it. Until you get your texting down, you will want to call us at 720-221-7126 or email nancy@blondeproductionsgroup.com.