txt2taste

Background

Txt2taste was created in response to a number of converging trends: the success of the advertorial genre of TV advertising, such as the Family Health Diary; the rise and rise of DM in the FMCG sector, particularly the rapid growth of sampling; and the growing acceptance of mobile phones. Fifty three percent of mobile phone users claim to have responded to a brand promotion using their phones.

A first for New Zealand television, txt2taste introduced television audiences to their first taste of txt response advertising - called 'try-vertising'. The vehicle also provided television advertisers with a next generation third-party product endorsement vehicle with in-built direct response mechanisms supporting the four buying cycle stages of awareness, consideration, trial and purchase in a single cohesive programme.

Combining multiple channels, including TV, txt, email, web and post for fulfilment, txt2taste lets consumers get more out of watching TV advertising by using a quick-fire mechanism to request samples and information. It also increases the value of advertising because it introduces a measure of effectiveness and the logistics machinery to grow a permission database and manage painless fulfilment.

Nestlé engaged txt2media to launch its new noodle range Maggi Noodle Temptations, using the txt2taste TVC format and underlying multi-channel technologies.

Objectives

The client wanted to launch Maggi Noodle Temptations using a third-party product endorsement TVC. More than just educating potential purchasers about a new noodle offering, the aim was to place samples in-home, helping to close gaps in the buying cycle.

Target Audience

Household shoppers.

Channels

• TVC
• Txt messaging
• Email
• Web
• Postal

Approach

For txt2taste to fulfil its promise as an easy way for consumers to sample exciting new products, the complex underlying technologies could not hinder the ease of the consumer experience. In fact, the technology had to enrich the whole experience. Viewers who saw the Maggi Noodle Temptations TVC could request a sample by either txting a short code using their mobile phones or registering their details directly on the txt2taste web site.

Txters received a txt message confirming their interest and instructions to either reply, including their email address (in which case a follow-up email would prompt registration), or by visiting the txt2taste web site. Along with their details they entered the unique code received in the first txt2taste txt message reply. Once registration was completed, the product sample was sent to the delivery address specified by the registrant.

Once the sole domain of 0800 and 0900 numbers, direct response advertising using digital channels offers tremendous advantages for consumers, who these days demand immediacy and no exceptional behaviour, like coupon cutting. For advertisers it solves the difficulties of fulfilment and increases the value of advertising by introducing a measure of effectiveness and the machinery to grow a permission database.

Results And Outcomes

• Campaign achieved sampling objectives in 2 weeks of a 3 week campaign
• Scored 'bullseye' against target market with 75% of respondents from target demographic
• 60% respondents selected the option of joining the advertisers database
• The offer was very popular with consumers, with 20 percent of orders came from tell-a-friend and forwarded emails
• Measuring response rates and specific demographics according to individual media buys shows that certain slots were up to 10 times more effective at eliciting registrations than others

Key Takeouts

• The strategy of launching FMCG brands using a single vehicle supporting the four buying cycle stages of awareness, consideration, trial and purchase, works. While there was some drop-off from some of the consumers who initiated registration, the txt2taste campaign's ability to capture the attention and get consumers interacting was remarkable
• Technology is now able to close the gaps in the buying cycle. Integrating txt, email and web to provide one view of the consumer has streamlined fulfilment and delivers a personalised customer experience that customers are up for. They want to receive offers this way and provide their details to receive them
• Using txt for lead generation and conversion in a TVC environment has successfully broken new ground
• The ability to measure response and specific demographics according to individual media buys means it is now possible to work out which 50 percent of your TV advertising is not working hard enough. More than that, quick analysis can highlight the differences in cost per response for advertising slots that were once considered similar. The upshot is that advertisers are now able to lower the cost of media spend; or maximise the response for the same spend; or even craft a campaign targeting the most responsive consumers
• In the future, txt2taste will be able to better measure actual conversion to the brand against the original source media, by using coupons sent with the sample, which, when redeemed, enable txt2taste to identify who has redeemed the product. By matching these consumers back to the source media, it's possible to not just measure response to the free offer against the purchased media, but to get a measure of the cost per converted consumer

How Touchpoint Technology Helped

• Automated registration and ordering via SMS, web and email
• Managed permission database with one view of the customer across multiple channels
• Automated fulfilment of samples and notification via email and txt
• Automated opt-in via web, email and txt