GSK Gets SMS Fever

When GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was looking for a way to achieve standout for its Flixonase spray hayfever remedy in a crowded marketplace, it turned to Vodafone Target to deliver an innovative b2b SMS campaign that produced great results.
The campaign targeted pharmacy assistants, the key interface between consumers and products. Using mobile as the communications channel,  Flixonase stayed front-of-mind for customer-facing assistants throughout the peak hayfever season.
Mobile was used in combination with direct mail and the GSK direct sales team. Pharmacy assistants were invited to sign up for a series of weekly SMS communications. After registering their postcodes, the pharmacy assistants received three Flixonase texts per week throughout the 10-week hayfever season.
On Mondays, they were sent a pollen forecast, predicting what levels of which allergenes to expect, using data from the Pollen Institute. Using the postcode data, each assistant received information relevant to their own area.
On Wednesdays, a quiz was sent out, with questions relating to hayfever and its treatment, with prizes on offer for the pharmacy. On Fridays, the assistants receive a text containing a useful fact about allergy prevention and treatment.
The results were highly encouraging. Well over 10% of the pharmacy assistants invited to register for the text campaign opted in to receive the messages. 50% of those who did responded to the quiz texts every week, and reaction to the campaign was extremely positive. Sales of Flixonase increased dramatically nationwide, and GSK were delighted with the way in which the mobile element of the cmnopaign connected the brand to its market. They are now looking at how mobile can add value to, and increase response from other campaigns.