Fast food chain Wendy’s International is getting in on mobile coupons, hoping to increase sales with a new mobile campaign run by Options Media Group Holdings. The campaign is running in the Northeast US, where customers are now able to opt in for mobile coupons and ads in exchange for discounts at Wendy’s locations.
“There has been a growing trend of advertisers shifting marketing dollars from traditional media to mobile devices and we are able to stay in the forefront of these solutions. We are pleased to have signed on a marquee client such as Wendy’s and look forward to building our relationship with them to eventual provide nationwide mobile marketing campaigns,” said Options Media CEO Scott Frohman, in a statement.
Not everyone is interested in opting in to mobile marketing and coupons, but people are becoming more accepting of the idea. Forrester Research reports that 80 percent of consumers were opposed to mobile ads in 2006, compared to 61 percent in 2008. Since these opt-in mobile campaigns are often targeted at a younger audience, mobile coupons become more popular as the mobile generation continues to grow.
Earlier this month, 7-Eleven launched a test mobile coupon campaign in San Diego. The campaign, which offers free drinks in exchange for opting in to a mobile marketing program for UPC bar code mobile coupons, is reportedly doing well so far, but ethics questions have been raised over the company’s accidental targeting of underage patrons, an issue that every opt-in mobile coupon campaign will face. (via release)
