A great article was published today in the New York Times: A Small Business Guide to Text-Message Marketing by Mark Cohen. It’s great to see the media and traditional press starting to see the power of text-message (SMS) marketing. The huge number of case studies and ROI analyses that have been published has made a real difference in the marketplace.

Here’s a small snippet of the article:

The Shedd Aquarium, in Chicago, uses a combination of on-site signs, end-of-aisle displays at local CVS stores with Coca-Cola as co-sponsor, and TV advertising. “We even built in a control group,” said Jay Geneske, assistant director of marketing. “For the promotion running on three local TV stations, we just gave out our phone number and Web site. But on the Fox affiliate we gave out our short code and asked people to text in to win. The response to the Fox [SMS] ad was more than the other three combined.”

and

Emitations, an online retailer of costume jewelry, is about to start a texting campaign promoting a new product line inspired by the “Twilight” vampire-themed book and movie series. Users who text in to register will receive regular alerts about new releases and sales on products tied to their favorite characters. Just for taking part, though, they’ll receive a sampler modeled on the gift bags handed out at Hollywood award dinners.

“Even with this group who’s so used to texting, I think it’s really important to start by giving them something,” said Au-Co Mai, chief executive of Emitations.

So, thanks to all of our clients who continue to push the envelope (and us!) with SMS marketing. Every time we think WE have a good idea, our clients one-up us!