Case Study: Enpocket Powers Vodafone’s MMS Stimulation Campaign<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Objectives of the campaign
Picture Messaging has the potential to drive big revenues for operators, but adoption of MMS at Vodafone had been slow. Research indicated that the key barriers to overcome included:
- Uncertainty of when/why to send an MMS
- Unsure when/how a picture adds value to an SMS
- Uncertainty around cost
- Unsure whether friends/family could receive picture messages
Enpocket, Vodafone's lead consumer mobile marketing agency, was briefed to devise a campaign taking usage beyond ‘special occasions’ (where there was take-up), stimulating wider everyday use.
Focusing on lapsed and low users of the service (sending >1 MMS per month) the key objective was to communicate how/when sending an MMS is more rewarding, thus increasing the frequency of their MMS activity, and turning the target audience into regular MMS users sending <2 MMS per month.
Strategy behind the work
In research Enpocket observed that though users weren’t sending MMS, they enjoy receiving them, finding them more exciting to open than an SMS. Enpocket Mobile Media Monitor research in Nov 2004 also revealed that of all applications consumers are interested using their phones for (assuming price isn’t a barrier), ‘sharing pictures with friends/families’ was the most popular.
Enpocket surmised that presenting credible reasons of MMS usage, showing the simplicity of sending and reward of receiving, would stimulate wider usage.
Enpocket’s solution
Create a campaign on the theme: ‘Reasons to send a picture message’
· Using good, easy to emulate, identifiable reasons to send an MMS
· With a repeatable proposition and campaign template
· Presenting everyday situations where MMS adds value, communicating the frequency of occasions where MMS is relevant
· Segmenting the audience by age/gender, targeting situations pertinent to each group
· With a closing reaction shot highlighting the joy to which MMS are often received, as research had demonstrated
· Maximizing experience by optimizing creative to the full screen size and animation potential of each phone
The results of the work
Following the first campaign, independent fieldwork conducted through ICM confirmed that roll out would be highly effective.
Telephone research – top line results
Initial reaction
• 64% of respondents remember receiving the messages
• 92% read the messages
• Messages had strong viral quality:
2% forwarded
13% showed to friends/family/colleagues
Recall of campaign/creative
• Respondents ‘got’ the message
• 84% believed the way the messages were presented was clear and understandable
• The message stuck in the mind of respondents:
50% could spontaneously remember images used ‘toothbrush’ image most well remembered (see attached flash file including campaign creative)
• Majority of respondents liked that the message was teaching them to be smarter phone users
Impact on learning
• 1 in 3 believed they learned something from the messages
• Almost half were inspired to think of picture messages they could send
• 38% now more likely to send picture messages
• 17% have already increased usage
• 42% positive impact on brand perception
The campaign is now being deployed by Vodafone UK and by Vodafone Global to Ireland, The Netherlands and Australia and is part of the Vodafone welcome program.
Direct impact on picture messaging revenues
This rolling program has provided new learnings month to month, informing progression in creative and evolving into ‘Reasons to send a video message’ campaigns for 3G customers.
Vodafone analysis of the campaign shows that it was very successful at stimulating picture messaging. Results show 10.2% sent at least one MMS in the two weeks post campaign (2.1% above control). 3,900 incremental MMS messages were sent above the control by 1,300 unique individuals, each responder sending a minimum of three MMS messages.
Samples of the campaign creative can be viewed at: http://www.enpocket.com/vodafonemms/reasonsto/
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