Warner Bros. Pictures has partnered with kgb 542542, an SMS answer service, for a multichannel promotional campaign for the new ?Sherlock Holmes? film.

The campaign includes television advertising, an online contest, national radio spots and in-theater promotions, as well as a mobile SMS initiative. Consumers can text the keyword SHERLOCK to short code 542542 (kgbkgb) to get insider facts about the movie and its characters.

?Text offers a ubiquitous and vital platform to communicate with an enormous audience,? said Bruce Stewart, CEO of kgb Mobile and Digital, New York. ?Anyone who has a mobile phone can send an SMS, and since text usage continues to grow rapidly in the United States, it?s an ideal way to reach and engage with large audiences.?
 
Mr. Stewart said mobile audiences are by definition on the go, so SMS is complimentary to other messaging platforms and lets all consumers immediately take action to get information about Sherlock Holmes by texting their question to 542542.

The multichannel messages are designed to intersect with consumers? lives at different touch points, Mr. Stewart said. Kgb views the mobile touch point as a new and important way to reach consumers.

A multichannel effort
Kgb 542542 is kgb’s flagship text message answer service that lets consumers send any question via text message to the short code 542542 to receive an answer. Kgb is a privately held, worldwide provider of directory assistance and information services.

Sherlock Holmes, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, is a new portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous character.

Besides behind-the-scenes facts about the film and its characters, consumers can also text their own questions about movies, show times, actors and restaurants.

Tickets for advance screenings of Sherlock Holmes in select markets will be printed with a trivia question and a kgb message asking consumers to text the short code 542542 to get the answer.

On kgb?s branded microsite, http://kgbkgb.com/Sherlock, consumers can enter for a chance to win prizes, including advance screening passes, regular movie tickets, apparel and posters.

Mr. Stewart said  kgb?s partnership with Warner Brothers to promote the film delivers a large and engaged audience that is accustomed to getting content via SMS from kgb for both fun and practical uses.
 
?For kgb, the partnership means an opportunity to expand our audience even further to include a lot more movie fans ? kgb already provides lots of answers about movies, movie times, actors, celebrities and theater listings,? Mr. Stewart said. ?A film with broad appeal like Sherlock is bound to introduce our service to those who have never tried kgb ? and we believe they will enjoy the experience of getting great answers from kgb?s 542542 text answer service.?

Mr. Stewart said kgb and Sherlock Holmes are a good fit because his company is the personal answer detective for millions of users.

Kgb said it believes the messaging demographic for the Sherlock Holmes campaign will be broad.

Mr. Stewart said SMS is an essential and easy way to deploy part of a multichannel campaign.

?Getting mobile content via text is already a preferred content delivery method for millions of Americans,? Mr. Stewart said. ?A text-messaging program can stand along or reinforce messages on other platforms.

?Text is uniquely suited to reach and engage large audiences when they are on the go since everyone can use it from their mobile phone,? he said.