NexCen Brands’ Marble Slab Creamery and MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream & Treatery became the two latest quick-serve chains to offer mobile coupons to consumers. The mobile marketing campaign will offer participants coupons for ice cream products through the end of the year.

The mobile texting campaign is supported by NexCen Franchise Management, a division of NexCen Brands.

“The mobile texting campaign is a way for both brands to engage customers through an innovative promotion,” says Jenn Johnston, senior vice president of brand marketing for NexCen Franchise Management, in a statement. “The mobile coupons resonate among young customers tapped into social media and the latest trends, while also appealing to their parents who enjoy convenient savings.”
With the rising popularity of cell phones and Web-enabled mobile devices, today’s consumers have become harder for markets to reach. Fewer consumers publicly list or even use home phone lines anymore and many increasingly relying on e-mail versus traditional postal mail for information.

In order to participate in the NexCen campaign, customers must text “slab” for Marble Slab and “moo” for MaggieMoo’s to 30364. Once done, participants will receive mobile coupons and other information regarding products and promotions. According to a statement by the company, the first mobile coupon will reward customers with $1 off any Tasty Creation or Fresh Escape ice cream combination at Marble Slab and MaggieMoo’s respectively.

Mobile marketing companies like Plum Reward, Cellfire, and traditional postal marketer Money Mailer are among the numerous companies tapping into the growing trend of mobile marketing recently.

According to a study by ABI Research conducted earlier this year, mobile coupons and discount offers remain the top mobile marketing incentive for consumers, with 63 percent stating that a coupon would be the most effective incentive to get them to respond to a mobile marketing message.

The study also found that 70 percent of mobile coupon redemptions were from consumers under 34 years old. That’s not to say Baby Boomers aren’t interested in the savings, though. Redemption among consumers over 34 years old tripled in a six-month period, and 34-plus users represent 30 percent of mobile coupon participants.

–Blair Chancey