Back in August last year, I wrote about TextMarks, which I described as User Generated Shortcodes. Basically, the idea is that you can set up your own keyword on TextMarks’s shortcode (41411) and whoever sms’s that word in gets back a message of your own composition. So it might be a sort of Twitter like message, a link to today’s blog post or a restaurant could use it to let people find out what the daily special was.
They’ve now developed the idea into an interactive T-Shirt, available at Reactee, which takes the idea to a new level in user generated content. The idea is that you order a personalised message printed on a T-Shirt (”Hot or Not?” or “Ruff or Buff?” are obvious applications). People then text your keyword to 41411 in the same way and get back your pre-programmed message. You also get a copy of the message to your mobile.
Apart from the Ruff or Buff scenario (you’d have to be quite brave to go down this route), I think it could be an interesting way for charities to raise awareness and funds, as well as having useful applications for political parties. The sheer novelty of texting a person (OK their T-Shirt) would mean a higher level of interaction that doing the same thing on say, a billboard or leaflet. Anyone got any other ideas as to how it might be used?
It’s early days for Reactee, but apparently orders are flying out of the door. Only available in the US sadly.
These look great! Just ordered one and am waiting to see how it works. It’s an awesome idea!
I commend TextMarks for the innovation of their consumer-oriented approach of text-enabled t-shirts at Reactee. We’ve been doing the same at OTAir for businesses and organizations for over a year and have experienced good success with it. Companies will utilize our comprehensive mobile marketing and communications services in conjunction with apparel at trade shows and other events. In fact, For Rent magazine just did so last week at the annual National Apartment Association conference in Las Vegas.
The mobile phone is the best interactive engagement channel there is. It can be utilized to instantly participate with any form of media. Rick Mathieson has a post today at his Branding Unbound blog (http://maverix.typepad.com/brandingunbound/2007/07/interactive-cin.html) about the use of mobile phones to participate with on-screen ads and more in movie theaters…which we also do at OTAir. So, making a t-shirt interactive with a keyword and short code to text only makes sense. It makes sense for businesses and organizations to drive awareness, receive donation pledges and convey info; it makes sense for TextMarks and others in our industry to promote consumer awareness of texting opportunities by even empowering consumers with their own unique text keyword. I know we’ll all see similar and even more innovative consumer opportunities in the weeks and months ahead.
Back in 2000 there was a company called “SKIM.com” that had the same idea. I bought a T-shirt and an armband. The wayback machine does not get a full image. http://web.archive.org/web/20000408223846/www.skim.com/id/howtouse/index.php3
The code could be texted or emailed.
For Bango, which encourages the use of numeric short codes to go to content on mobiles, this was a great sharing of teh vision. Later on we put text messages on clothing as well, and we also started pushing “spots”
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Feb2004/6596.htm
See also
http://archive.salon.com/mwt/style/2001/02/26/skim/print.html
and
http://www.drweb.de/surftipps/images/skim.gif
(relating to the email use of SKIM codes)