SMS Texting To Magazines

I have discussed at length the idea of making print advertising (magazines,newspapers, business cards) and billboards interactive, but the method has to be different than this.

From Yahoo News.com New services link mobile users to online magazines .

Norwegian publisher Fast Forward Media Group and Belgian technology company Allisblue -- presented their new ways of connecting consumers to publications on Thursday at a conference of European publishers.

Consumners on the go will be able to send keywords to a short telephone number from their handsets, after which they will be sent emails with links to magazines they have requested.

It's a start, but you will get more response if you can send a keyword from magazine to a short code and get back a link to site.

Let's say Calvin Klein comes out with a new fragrance and they put full page ads in all of the appropriate magazines. CK could also put at the bottom of the ad "send the word PASSION to XXXX and include your address for free sample".

General Mills says "send the word LUVFBR to XXXX and receive a coupon on your next purchase" on an ad.

You see where this is going? The next two "land grabs" will be registering short codes ,and the keywords that will be used. NeuStar will hand regsiter the short codes.

The keywords, that's another story. There are few ways that a keyword can gain even more value and Google should think about this .

To really make a product interactive who needs to send a text. Why not just click on a barcode, or an image and be DIRECTLY CONNECTED to the website. Not all phones are camera enabled, and the technology isn't quite there yet.

We here in the States are just mastering how to send a text to vote for the next Idol.

There are many ways to make ads interactive, the brand managers will have a ball thinking of them.


Want to know what you can do to make YOUR AD interactive?

If you want some ideas how to make your product interactive and get consumers to respond, send me an email at VANGORILLA AT AOL DOT COM with your company and the product you are launching.