Txt4Info turns mobile phone into ultimate shopping companion

02 February 2006

Auckland marketing technology company Touchpoint has launched a new response service that lets consumers respond to traditional advertising using their mobile phones.

Called Txt4info, the service is being promoted to advertisers as a way to make their brands more immediately accessible to interested consumers and generate increased response from traditional media.

Txt4info provides a technology backend and unique Txt4info short code for advertisers wanting to include text response in advertising campaigns and promotions. Consumers are able to request information, brochures, coupons and samples simply by texting a keyword from their mobile phones. The requested information is then sent by email, post, txt or return call.

Touchpoint managing director Steve Shearman said consumers are now more conditioned to respond to advertising, but the effort required to interrupt viewing of traditional media and respond using an 0800 number or the web often isn't convenient for consumers who just want more information. "Hurdles like waiting in call centre queues, having to talk to a potential salesperson or remembering the website address until you are next on the computer, mean advertisers lose all but the most committed consumers," Shearman said.

He said that while direct response had been around for some time, until now it had focused mostly on reaching directly for consumer wallets, which could frighten away interested customers. "Txt4info lets consumers instantly interact with brands that interest them, by offering a tool that provides total control," he said. "Txt4info effectively automates the whole request and delivery process, but at the same time enriches the consumer experience by providing a response mechanism that overcomes the dissatisfaction of traditional voice calling. There are no capacity issues; it's less disruptive than making a phone call; and more discerning and convenient for the consumer."

Shearman said the ubiquity of digital channels, such as mobile phones, has seen the balance of power shift to consumers, to the extent that convenience and accessibility was now a key determinant of advertising return on investment.

"As brand options proliferate, elements of accessibility and control become more important to consumers. When consumers see something that interest them they need the ability to be instantly gratified, or they will move on," he said. "The beauty of Txt4info is its ability to instantly gratify the consumer desire for a certain level of information or interaction easily and non-threateningly, by involving them when you've got their attention."

He expects the opportunity to easily track response to different media will particularly interest advertisers. By using different keywords advertisers can measure response and ROI against different creative or media combinations.

Txt4info will be promoted as a standalone service and is supported by a website (www.txt4info.com).

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