Run The Red Release

Run The Red Release

Mobile Enablement Company Run The Red is celebrating as the Telecom Mobile $250,000 Text Challenge surged past one million texts in just 77 days, making it one of the most, if not the most, successful text promotion in New Zealand history.

"When you consider that we've generated a million texts without resorting to expensive above the line advertising and promotion techniques it is an even bigger achievement," said Run The Red Director Justin Boersma.

"The text promotion market in New Zealand is still very much in its infancy and our success with this one has provided us with invaluable information about what works and what doesn't in developing and rolling out a text campaign," said Justin Boersma.

Established just 18 months ago to take advantage of the huge possibilities opened up by New Zealanders rapid adoption of SMS technology, Run The Red is quickly establishing itself as a leader in the development of mobile technology and SMS text-based campaigns in particular.

"We always thought there was huge potential for marketers and others to use SMS technology and it was a fantastic opportunity to be able to partner with Telecom to develop their Telecom Mobile $250,000 Text Challenge."

“Key to a successful text campaign is quickly building a 'critical mass' of competition participants - but then the next challenge is to retain them. That really is where the rubber hits the road."

"One way to do that is to ensure there is an adequate and tempting prize pool."

Part way through the promotion, Telecom increased the total value of prizes on offer from $100,000 to $250,000.

"The other critical element is keeping interest up and ensuring the competition is relevant and challenging - if you become routine or boring people stop playing

"We have more than 20,000 subscribed registrants to the competition. The current record is one person who answered 80 questions in one day," said Justin Boersma.

Run The Red is able to provide a full service for prospective clients, from developing the sophisticated software to support automated questions and responses, through to implementing and servicing the campaign from start to finish.

Telecom's Text Challenge is our biggest project to date and runs for the whole 152 days of the regatta. Just coming up with the huge number of questions and answers for the campaign was a mammoth task in itself."

The Text Challenge can only be accessed through a Telecom mobile phone and involves 'challengers' correctly answering a series of multi-choice questions for which they get an increasing number of points for each correct answer.

The more points challengers earn, the more chances they have to win prizes.

Prizes include Team New Zealand caps, binoculars and cameras, chilly bins, Magnums of Moet & Chandon, beach towels and free Telecom airtime.

Major prizes up for grabs include five launch trips for two on the American Eagle to watch America's Cup racing, five Sony Ericsson T60c Picture Messaging mobile phones and four X Box packages worth $1,200.00 each. And the major prize is a Toyota Rav Four worth around $45,000.00.

Challengers can go to www.telecom.co.nz/prizes to check out the prizes up for grabs and pictures of some of the winners.

A major text promotion for Coca Cola earlier this year received 300,000 entries over a one month period, which was heavily supported with TV advertising, point of sale promotions, product branding and $5million in prizes.

Run The Red is a privately owned Wellington-based company. Recently the company established an office in Auckland to service a growing number of clients. It specialises in mobile enablement technology and has positioned itself primarily as a service partner to the mobile information market.

For further information visit www.runthered.com

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