Wireless Watch for March 19, 2004

Rock the Vote Undertakes Mobile Outreach

Rock the Vote, a non-profit and non-partisan organization supported by MTV, has launched a mobile initiative to reach out to young potential voters on their cell phones. Called Rock the Mobile Vote, the effort will deliver poll questions, election issue updates, and “get out the vote” messages from recording artists.

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Enpocket Campaign Drives Viewers to ‘Barbarians’

Mobile marketing firm Enpocket recently worked with The History Channel to drive viewers to “Barbarians,” a program that portrayed the life and crimes of the Vikings, Goths, Huns and Mongols.

Enpocket sent a text message with a creative teaser to an opt-in list of 25- to 54-year-old men the evening before the show. According to Enpocket, 40 percent of those impacted by the campaign went on to watch The History Channel and 18 percent watched the program. The History Channel said its mobile promotion was integral to the show’s success.

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CTIA and MMA Launch Mobile Marketing Seminar

The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association and the Mobile Marketing Association will launch a seminar series on mobile marketing to meet what they call “a growing demand by advertising agencies and brands for information on how to conduct effective mobile marketing campaigns in North America.”

Called the Mobile Marketing BootCamp, the seminar will be held in nine U.S. cities between April and December 2004. Segments of the industry covered will include device manufacturers, carriers, technology firms, ad agencies, content providers and brands.