OgilvyInteractive unveils SMS campaign
for Gorillaz

Gorillaz took the world by storm using cool digital animation and music that is a mix of rock, hip-hop and Latin beats.

With the SMS campaign, created by OgilvyInteractive, fans in Singapore will be able to take a step closer to the band by having a virtual dialogue with the members via SMS.

Fans who wish to correspond with any of their favourite Gorillaz members -- 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel -- can simply subscribe to a designated number via SMS and the individual members will correspond with them. These subscribers will also get free and exclusive picture messages, quizzes and rewards when they get their friends to sign up through the viral component.

"The key objective was to see if SMS can deepen the relationship between Gorillaz and their fans. Judging by the sort of virtual dialogues we're seeing during this campaign, the objective has been achieved. Another encouraging point: when asked if they would buy the album soon, 46% of subscribers who replied said yes," Graham Kelly, regional creative director of OgilvyInteractive Asia Pacific, said.

The campaign uses radio and postcards to get subscribers to opt in to ensure that it remains totally permission-based to avoid SMS spamming.

"SMS is ideal for Gorillaz. They're a cool, hip band and a bit 'underground' so the last thing you want to do is to be too mainstream," Valerie Lim, managing director of EMI Singapore, said.

To see the campaign in action check out the demo here

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This article was first published on brandrepublic.com