INDIANAPOLIS - (Business Wire) The world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise, Auntie Anne’s launched a new campaign today that allows holiday shoppers to send a text message to receive exclusive coupons and discounts delivered to their email inbox. Promoted through in-store signage and emblazoned on the company’s cups and pretzel sleeves, the campaign directs customers to text PRETZEL to 80565 to join the company’s email Pretzel Perks and begin receiving email coupons.
Powered by on-demand email marketing and one-to-one marketing provider ExactTarget, the campaign is expected to run through January.
“Text messaging allows us to connect with our customers when they are fully engaged with our brand,” said April Hoelscher, director of marketing at Auntie Anne’s Inc. “By encouraging holiday shoppers to send a quick text message to join Pretzel Perks, we eliminate the need for someone to remember to log on to our Website and subscribe to our email program when they get home.”
Once a customer sends a text message to join Pretzel Perks, a text message response is automatically triggered back requesting the customer reply with a defined keyword and email address. Using ExactTarget’s integrated text messaging features, the email address is automatically transferred to Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Perks email account and an email is generated featuring a link to a downloadable coupon. Housed on an ExactTarget landing page, the coupon can be redeemed in-store and includes links to share the offer with friends.
“Building relationships with customers takes a long-term strategy. It’s not about a single email or text message, rather an integrated plan to engage with your customers in personalized, relevant, and timely ways,” said Emily Hopkins of Richards Relationship Marketing.
The addition of text messaging to Auntie Anne’s ExactTarget-powered email marketing efforts follows the pretzel maker’s overhaul of its email marketing strategy, developed by Richards Relationship Marketing earlier this year. Launched in August, the Auntie Anne’s email program includes an automated welcome email and triggered birthday message that have both posted open rates in excess of 50 percent.
“As the holiday shopping season starts in earnest, Auntie Anne’s is well positioned to serve its customers using our sophisticated platform to power true one-to-one communications through integrated email and text messaging,” said Tim Kopp, ExactTarget’s chief marketing officer.
The addition of text messaging to Auntie Anne’s holiday marketing efforts comes in the wake of Deloitte’s 24th Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends, which found nearly one in five consumers (19 percent) plan to use mobile phones to assist with their holiday shopping. The survey found nearly one third (32 percent) of those plan to use their mobile phone to get discounts and coupons.
About Auntie Anne's
Primarily located in malls, airports, and lifestyle centers, the concept mixes, twists, and bakes pretzels to golden brown perfection in full view of customers. Over 1,000 Auntie Anne’s stores are located in 44 states and 20 international territories. Each pretzel comes with a Perfect Guarantee which simply states, “If a customer does not love his or her pretzel, Auntie Anne’s will replace it with one he or she does love.” For more information, visit www.auntieannes.com, www.facebook.com/pretzels, and http://twitter.com/AuntieAnnes
About ExactTarget
ExactTarget is a leading global provider of on-demand email and one-to-one marketing solutions. The company’s software as a service technology provides organizations a single platform to connect with customers via triggered and transactional email, integrated text messaging, voice messaging, landing pages and social media. Supported by collaborative global services teams, ExactTarget’s technology integrates with more sales and marketing information systems than any other in the industry, including Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Omniture and Webtrends among many others. ExactTarget’s software powers permission-based multi-channel communications for thousands of organizations around the world including Expedia.com, Aurora Fashions, Papa John’s, CareerBuilder.com, Gannett Co., Inc., The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Home Depot, Liberty Mutual Group and Wellpoint, Inc. For more information, visit www.exacttarget.com or call 1-866-EMAILET.
About Richards Relationship Marketing
Richards Relationship Marketing is the direct response marketing division of Dallas-based independent branding agency The Richards Group. Services include marketing consulting, direct response and loyalty marketing, customer relationship management, and customer profiling and segmentation. The agency works with such notable clients as Advance Auto Parts, Auntie Anne’s, Flexjet by Bombardier, MetroPCS, Orkin, and Sub-Zero/Wolf. For more information, visit www.richardsrelationshipmarketing.com.
Auntie Anne’s
Shannon Zimmerman, 717-435-1612
shannonz@auntieannesinc.com
or
ExactTarget
Mitch Frazier, 317-275-5034
mfrazier@ExactTarget.com
or
Dittoe PR for ExactTarget
Lauren Sanders, 317-202-2280 X10
lauren@dittoepr.com
