While we can’t take all the credit for the bill passing, we are proud to be the choice for so many organizations – including the AARP – to drive their grass roots advocacy for so this historic bill.  AARP members who were signed up to receive mobile alerts through Mobile Commons received a text Friday morning asking them to call their Congressional representatives. The members were automatically connected to their representative after hearing talking points. When connected they were ready to advocate for passage of the bill.

Working with one of our partners, M+R Strategic Services, AARP developed a strategic plan to build their group of mobile activists over the last month.  They were able to get them immediately engaged through Mobile Commons’ SMS-to-Voice application.  From endorsement to engagement in less than a day.

There is simply no better or more cost effective way to convert an organizations position into actionable advocacy then engaging supporters on their mobile phone.  It does not escape our notice that AARP understand that its members are using mobile messaging to make their voices heard and knows that every demographic actively uses mobile.

Additionally,  AFSCME, working with the Watershed Company, used a combination of paid online media, email, and text messages to drive thousands of calls to congress this week through our voice advocacy applications to give a voice to their supporters and help pass the health care bill.  As did the Communications Workers of America, Planned Parenthood, Working America (AFL-CIO) and others.

Mobile Commons was just nominated as a finalist for 2 awards at the Mobile Marketing Association’s Fifth Annual Global Mobile Marketing Awards!

Of course, we are excited to be selected, but we are even more excited for our customers whose programs drove the nominations.

Best Messaging Program Award
“Text to Remember” – National September 11th Memorial & Museum

and

Best Social Impact Award
Center for Community Change

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The National September 11th Memorial & Museum created a SMS program that allowed mobile users to donate money directly to the memorial from their cellphones, as well as enable everyone to raise their mobile phone and participate in the 9/11 Honor Roll. “Text to Remember” was launched in conjunction with a NASCAR race in Richmond, VA on Sept 11th and featured a commemorative car driven by Benny Gordon.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is the not-for-profit created to oversee the design, raise the funds, and program and operate the Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site. The Memorial & Museum will be located on eight of the 16 acres of the site.

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The Center for Community Change was founded in 1968 to honor the life and values of Robert F.Kennedy. The Center is one of the longest-standing champions for low-income people and communities of color.  Their expert staff and dynamic partners confront the vital issues of today and build the social movements of tomorrow.

The Center for Community Change strengthens, connects and mobilizes grassroots groups to enhance their leadership, voice and power.  We believe that vibrant community-based organizations, led by the people most affected by social and economic injustice, are key to putting an end to the failed “on your own” mentality of the right and building a new politics based on community values.

The use of SMS messaging for engagement marketing, brand awareness, customer retention and user activation continues to grow quickly as more and more organizations realize the power of SMS: it’s the killer app for EVERY phone…

The results from a new Harris Interactive survey show that consumers are increasingly more open to receiving SMS text messages alerting them to deals at nearby stores, restaurants, and other retail outlets. Some highlights from the survey include:

• Only 1% of consumers say they currently receive deal alerts on their mobile phones but 27% say they would welcome such messages, as long as they came from merchants they’ve given permission to send offers.
• Consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 are the most receptive with 42% of respondents saying they would like to get marketing messages from favored merchants.
• 37% of consumers in households with children would like to receive opt-in alerts and in families with children under six that rises to 44%.
• 22% of mobile phone owners responded that they make an impulse purchase at least once a week based on a sale or special promotional event.

Here at Mobile Commons we’ve seen these trends firsthand with our retail customers. One customer recently ran a 48 hour “weekend only” sale for its mobile subscribers that resulted in a 50% conversion rate and a 10% increase in their average purchase size. Another client has been averaging a $10 return for every text message they’ve sent this year!

If you’re interested in learning more about our program geared specifically to retailers please don’t hesitate to contact us.

The medical journal Pediatrics published a new study showing the effectiveness of using text messages to remind young patients to take their medication.

There were 41 patients in the study who recently underwent a liver transplant. They showed “significant improvement” in medication compliance after 1 year. The media age of the patients was 15.

Mobile Commons has worked with a number of organizations and state health departments, including New York and California, to test the efficacy of using text messaging to improve public health. We’ve seen these organizations and other health-related organizations use mobile technology to help improve smoking cessation rates, increase drug compliance, deliver vaccination reminders, and assist with blood pressure monitoring.

It’s also important to note that the job isn’t finished and there’s still lots more research to be done. As the researchers of the recent study commented, “the results of this pilot study are encouraging, however, larger, randomized controlled studies are needed to establish the efficacy of text messaging in improving medication adherence.”

If your organization is interested in conducting your own study using text messaging or phone calls to improve patient care, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to provide the platform for your research.