AT&T launched a location-based mobile marketing service on February 28 that lets brands deliver customized SMS or MMS messages, such as coupons or sale notices, to opted-in AT&T customers near a participating location. JetBlue, Kmart and HP are among the brands using the platform.
The service is initially only available to AT&T customers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco, but the telecommunications company is planning a national rollout for this summer. AT&T teamed with location-based platform Placecast to develop the service.
“For the initial launch, we have JetBlue geo-fencing US airports, reminding their loyalty members to check in to go places so they can win JetBlue points,” said Danielle Lee, VP of ad product innovation at AT&T. “In other cases, we have retailers geo-fencing their stores. Kmart for example, is geo-fencing their stores to promote offers and deals that are going on in-store.”
Lee said participating brands will also be able to send location-based offers at sporting events or concerts. Kibbles ‘n Bits, Nature’s Recipe and MilkPEP‘s “National Milk Mustache” campaign are also using the platform to promote their products or services.
Consumers can opt in to receive ShopAlerts via SMS or a dedicated portal on AT&T’s website. Participants will receive no more than four messages per week.
When opting in, consumers must provide their name, ZIP code, age range, gender and e-mail address. Lee said AT&T will not share this information with marketers or use it for other corporate marketing.
She added that AT&T will also ask consumers to share their interests so the company can better target messages. Each consumer who opts in will initially receive messages from all participating brands, said Lee. However, she added that “as we scale and offer the areas of interest targeting, we would identify specific categories like automotive, fashion and travel.”
