Pepin Distributing Co., a distributor of Anheuser-Busch Inc. beer products, ran an SMS promotion with the National Hockey League?s Tampa Bay Lightning that drove 1,800 opt-ins to its database.

This opt-in list is gold, since the churn rate with mobile phone numbers is minimal compared with email or postal addresses. Plus, the ability to interact with consumers in real-time will aid in re-marketing efforts.

"The puck promotion was our initial kick-off for our mobile marketing campaign and we wanted something impactful and relevant,? said Bill Gieseking, marketing director at Pepin, Tampa, FL. "Partnering with the Tampa Bay Lightning was a win-win because of the in-market point-of-sale and the radio exposure for both brands."

Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, is the largest brewer nationwide. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 overseas.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, FL. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the NHL.

Lightning strikes twice
The beer distributor tapped mobile marketing company Adz2Mobile for the multichannel campaign featuring out-of-home posters and radio advertising. The call-to-action urged hockey fans to text the keyword PUCK to the short code 333222 for a chance to win a suite at a Lightning game.

Pepin reached out to Adz2Mobile to help build a mobile database that it can use to reach out to consumers in the Tampa metro area.

The company used radio spots with the SMS call-to-action as a primary driver to build the database, along with posters of the promotion in on-premise and off-premise venues with the SMS call-to-action.

The radio buys targeted all kinds of demographics on various stations, from rock and hip-hop to country and adult contemporary.

The posters were placed in bars, convenience stores and liquor stores, as well as grocery stores and large chain stores.

The posters carried branding from the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Anheuser-Busch?s Bud Light brand.

This was a double-opt-in program.

After receiving the initial reply text, consumers had to text in their date of birth to confirm that they wanted to receive more text messages from the Anheuser-Busch wholesaler.

Once their age was verified, consumers were given more details about the event.  

The winner of the sweepstakes will get to attend the Lightning game on Jan. 14 against the Florida Panthers along with 10 of his or her friends.

The Lightning will provide the suite free of charge, while Anheuser-Busch will provide free pizza and beverages.

The campaign reached 1,800 SMS opt-ins in 45 days.

Tampa beer area
Pepin will use the SMS database to engage consumers, build product awareness, offer specials, publicize events, run promotions and get out the message of drinking responsibly.

?The Anheuser-Busch wholesaler wanted to build their database right out of the gate, and they created a strong database in a short amount of time, and they will use it to engage back with their clients,? said Bruce Hershey II, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Adz2Mobile, Naples, FL.

?This is the first time this has ever taken place with a beer wholesaler, running a multichannel campaign to engage with consumers on a local level via mobile,? he said. ?They added the mobile tie-in to increase sales in the Tampa metro area.

?These consumers opted in twice?they want to receive messages.?

In fact, Pepin has already begun using the SMS database.

During Christmas and New Year?s Eve, the company had Adz2Mobile push out messages with a click-to-call link to get a ride if they had too much to drink.

?They never had the ability to engage consumers anytime and anywhere in real time, now they have the ability to hit consumers on their handset,? Mr. Hershey said. ?It?s important to engage consumers beyond the initial call-to-action.

?That?s what mobile?s all about?re-engaging with consumers,? he said. ?Each and every text message doesn?t have to be about a product.?