Chili's Grill & Bar Offers Coupons Via Foursquare

For a limited time, foursquare subscribers who check in at Chili's Grill & Bar will receive a free order of chips and salsa. This restaurant, known best for its 'casual dining', is trying to connect with their customers by technological means, and its working!

“Chili’s Grill & Bar wanted to capitalize on the popularity of Foursquare to offer a cutting-edge incentive with our guests,” said Nicole Cochran, director of marketing at Chili’s Grill & Bar, Dallas, TX. “Additionally, our Foursquare offer is a unique way to leverage mobile marketing that is current and relevant.We feel this initiative is a great fit for our social and tech-savvy guests.”

To read the entire article, click here.

To learn more about mobile marketing for restaurants, visit Club Texting's restaurant page.

Mobile Marketing Is Sure To Boom This Upcoming Holiday Season

2009's holiday season was the largest mobile ad season to date. However, early indicators show that 2010 will blow 2009 away in this department. Experts predict that companies will spend more money than ever on mobile marketing campaigns this upcoming holiday season. More people than ever before will be searching for coupons and deals via their smart phones, and companies will be sure to deliver.

“Brands and marketers that do not include mobile in their holiday marketing plans this year will miss out on a growing number of consumers who will be considering products via their mobile devices, especially those with advanced smartphones who search and browse products and brands,” said Neil Strother, Kirkland,WA-based practice director at ABI Research.

To read the entire article, click here.

To learn more about mobile marketing, visit Club Texting.

New Technology From OnStar Lets Drivers Control Their Vehicles From Their Mobile Phones

Ever leave your car and then wonder if you actually locked it? We know, it happens to all of us. But now, with this new technology from OnStar, vehicle owners can power their lights, start their car, lock and unlock the doors through their mobile phones!

“The technology will be launched to customers via unique separate apps from Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC that they will begin rolling out in the months ahead. The OnStar technology is validated to work on iPhone and Android platforms, but we’re exploring opportunities to expand beyond in the future,” Ms. Carriere, a spokeswomen for OnStar, said.

Want to learn more about this exciting technology? Read the entire article here.

.

Adweek Says 'Forget Apps, Text Still Reigns in Mobile'

Simon Vella has an excellent column over at Adweek:

The flurry of recent media announcements around mobile apps probably has you thinking this might be your easy marketing answer for 2010. Beware the hype, because beneath the excitement lies plenty of stats that show it's still a plaything compared to text messaging, which continues to deliver impressive year-over-year growth across all demographic groups.

...

If we next look at usage, there are some telling statistics that again highlight why text messaging provides a better return when marketing to customers. In results released from its analytics platform in September 2009, Flurry showed that only one-quarter of iPhone apps are used more than 90 days after they are downloaded. So it's hardly representing value for money as a brand-building tool, either.

There is so much more to read, so head over to Adweek now!

"SMS Marketing Still Superior to Mobile Apps"

Here's a quick story from Mobile Marketing Watch:

Although mobile apps are clearly all the rage, Shaun Gregory, the managing director of O2 Media, says it’s important not to place apps ahead of sound mobile marketing practices when it comes to utilizing the mobile space most efficiently in the promotional process.

Head over to Mobile Marketing Watch to read the rest.

Is MTV About To Make A TV Show About Sexting?

It seems like every day there's another story in the news about sexting (news search results). It now looks like MTV is going to turn the 18 to 25 demographic's fondness for sexting into a reality TV show:

 MTV News put out a casting call for "people who appear to be between the ages of 18-25 to share their stories" about the latest teen trend: sending text messages or e-mails with sexual images or provocative words.

The network's documentary arm is looking for people who have engaged in sexting, are worried that their private pictures have been disseminated to the masses, have had relationships ruined by sexting or are facing legal trouble from engaging in the activity.

According to a new Pew Research Center study, 15 percent of cellphone owners between 12 and 17 have received nude or partially nude photos on their phones, while four percent admitted to having sent the images themselves.

Read more @ The New York Post.

MetroPCS Now Supports Club Texting's Short Code

We wanted to relay to you a quick bit of news that will certainly excite many of our customers. Earlier this week, MetroPCS provisioned our short code, 25827 on their network, making us one of the first mobile marketing firms to support true two-way messaging for MetroPCS customers!

See our full carrier coverage list at Club Texting.

Holographic Text Messages - Whoa!

This viral video has got to be about the coolest text message we've ever seen:

Holographic Text Messages will rock your world. With 1.5 million views in just a couple weeks, this viral video proves it. The video, by Inha Luke Yoo describes the concept as HoloText Messaging. The kicker of course, is that this sort of technology isn’t yet available. But this concept video does a great job of showing you what holographic text messages will be like.

And the video:

(via textually.org)

Globalization, Blogging & SMS

How would you like to follow SMS-powered micro-blogs written by your favorite NBA stars...in Mandarin:

MogoTXT, a start-up that operates public texting groups, has launched texting groups for a handful of NBA players. Initially, five pro basketballers have agreed to post daily text messages that their fans can sign up to receive.
...
The initial players who'll be texting are Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers; Jordan Farmar, LA Lakers; Eric Gordon, LA Clippers and Spencer Hawes, Sacramento Kings.

Read more @ Media Bistro

What Happened Today In History?

NBC News recently launched a new SMS alert service that should appeal to history buffs:

NBC News has launched a new SMS service called Today in History. It sends out one fact per day about an event that occurred on the current date in an earlier year. Simply Text ICUE to 275622.

Read more @ Textually