Making the Case for Mobile Marketing: Taking Your Messages on the Go with Papa Murphy’s

by Victor Green
3 mins read

The impact of mobile marketing can’t be overstated. According to IDC, more people in the U.S. will access the Internet through a mobile device than through their PC by 2015. In this new series, Elite Email takes a look at highly successful campaigns to uncover their mobile marketing lessons. This week’s case study: How Papa Murphy’s and a great mobile strategy created in the heart of Kansas quickly took the nation by storm. If there’s one undeniable truth in the marketing world, it’s that text messages and pizza are a match made in heaven. From Papa John’s to Pizza Hut and Chuck E. Cheese, we’ve covered quite a few. However, none of the previous case studies approach this powerful bond quite like a different “Papa.” With that in mind, let’s dig into an extra deep dish helping of SMS marketing and learn just how Papa Murphy’s took the American Midwest, and later the country, by storm with some great mobile messages.

Understanding the Papa Murphy’s Approach

Unlike the other pizza restaurants you’ve read about, Papa Murphy’s offers a line of fresh “Take ‘N’ Bake” pizzas that compliment the great products offered in-store. Obviously, there’s nothing new about customers enjoying a pie straight out of the oven at home, but it’s important to understand every facet of the Papa Murphy’s approach in order to really appreciate how this SMS strategy help boost dine-in and take-out sales at the same time. Additionally, the group of customers targeted by this brand aren’t your typical plain cheese pizza supporters. One of the biggest selling points throughout the campaign was an emphasis on a variety of unique and tasty toppings that take enjoying a pizza with friends to the next level.

Setting the Stage for an SMS Breakthrough

At the core of Papa Murphy’s text campaign was a focus on the Kansas City market. From here, the chain would know just how receptive other portions of the United States would be to a similar, extended run of SMS messages. These text messages offered powerful discounts throughout the year, keeping customers excited and intrigued by the latest offerings from their favorite pizza restaurant. Everything from reduced rates on taco pizzas during Cinco De Mayo to daily specials covering fan favorites like chicken, bacon, and artichoke pies created a program that was irresistible to pizza fans in the area.Outside of this greater goal, the pizza chain also decided to spice things up with how it generated leads for its mobile contact database. Instead of getting behind a single sign-up method, Papa Murphy’s tested the waters across a variety of platforms, including in-store pushes, mobile tents at civic functions, and online reminders for customers that showed interest in participating. Naturally, this “all-in” approach might seem like a bit of overkill at first glance, but you’ll soon see that Papa Murphy’s perseverance paid off in a big way once the final numbers for the campaign came to light.

Results Throughout the Year

So just how well did things turn out for Papa Murphy’s text program? To answer this question, let’s look at the redemption rates for a couple of the mobile offers fired off to contact list members. In regard to the $5 chicken, bacon, and artichoke pizza deal, mobile redemption rates hit 9 percent. On Cinco De Mayo, and later a “half-off” pizza holiday, rates rose above 11.5 and 12 percent, respectively. However, the big finale came from a simple $5 coupon for a three-topping pizza. At the end of the day, this seemingly generic offer reeled in 17.9 percent redemption rate.As far as subscribers go, Kansas City alone brought the pizza chain 16,000 subscribers. Not too shabby, right? Well the numbers become even more impressive once you factor in the campaign’s extension into another 26 states across the U.S. In total, Papa Murphy’s generated 100,000 new contact list members from this series of mobile offers.

Finding the Right Toppings for Your Own SMS

So how can you follow in Papa Murphy’s footsteps and back up your own five-star mobile campaign? To start, keep things simple and straightforward with your text messages. Offers that are easy to digest and provide real value can win over even the toughest crowds. On top of this, don’t be afraid to explore every avenue when it comes to sign-ups. Papa Murphy’s exhausted these channels thoroughly, and the results clearly show that it was worth the effort. Even if your brand doesn’t offer something as tasty as pizza on the go, there’s no doubt that this recipe for SMS success can put your products in the spotlight and keep members of your contact list begging for more.

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