Mobile Messaging Scores A Hat Trick!

Mobile messaging has a revolutionary role to play in sporting events in the USA – from marketing to ticketing to post-event surveys. Juniper Research in depth look at mobile ticketing predicts that by 2013, this sector of the market will rake in over $92 billion in total gross revenue with over 400 million people using mobile ticketing options. Juniper report author Howard Wilcox pointed out: “Mobile ticketing offers exciting new opportunities for ticket issuers to achieve increased sales including targeted last-minute sales campaigns. For example, tickets for the sporting event or movie happening ‘tomorrow’ or ‘tonight’ could be marketed directly to known fans.”

Cost savings are immediate with a switch to mobile messaging from paper-based marketing and ticketing plus mobile messaging automatically reduces the risk of fraud as text messages are traceable and are sent to the personal communication device of the customer – their mobile phone. Above all of this and the primary reason that text messaging is such a popular communication medium; it allows people in real-time and at their convenience to access the information that they need and to respond via two-way text messaging applications.

US-based, Fox Soccer Channel started down the mobile path earlier this year with a text messaging option for their viewers that allowed them to sign up for weekly text message programming alerts and match information. The channel covers a wide range of sporting events from England’s Barclays Premier League and Italy’s Serie A, as well as international tournaments such as the FA Cup, CONCACAF Champion’s League and of course, next year’s Soccer World Cup in South Africa. “Since so many fans follow multiple leagues, our text message offering will make it easier for them to keep connected and up-to-date with their favorite teams…,” said David Sternberg, Executive Vice-President and General Manager of Fox Soccer Channel. To sign up, soccer fans can simply text FSCTV to 37288.

Text messaging applications can be used for pre-event purposes; in response mechanisms for mass media campaigns, direct ticket sales or event notification messages. Discounted tickets can be sold from a mobile platform right up until the start of the game. Mobile messaging is also a fantastic tool for competitions. The advantage is that mobile messaging offers real-time measurement of a campaigns’ effectiveness.

Once a reliable database of regular sport event attendees has been gathered, mobile messaging has another role to play during the event. Mobile applications can facilitate the sale of club anthems as ringtones, banners as wallpapers or team merchandise. During the event, event organizers have a captive audience and an opportunity to encourage spectators to sign up for mobile news about their favourite team or enter competitions on the day.

It doesn’t end there, for mobile messaging is also a great post-event tool. It is the perfect vehicle for immediate ticket purchases for the next event; for promoting and selling photographs or event replay footage as well as being used for survey purposes.

It won’t be long before we can book and pay for tickets to events from our mobile phones, in fact the mobile phone becomes the ticket – portable, always with us and a powerful tool that allows real-time interactivity between the event organizers and the event spectators. Mobile messaging applications are revolutionizing the way we interact; the future looks bright for event organizers and companies such as Fox Soccer Channel that have begun to embrace the potential of mobile message marketing.

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