U.S. Cellular and Vibes Engage Summerfest 2011 Music Lovers with Mobile Marketing

CHICAGO, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Vibes, a mobile marketing and technology company, today announced the results of a successful mobile marketing campaign with wireless carrier U.S. Cellular (NYSE: USM) for Summerfest 2011, the world's largest music festival. Total texting volume increased 37 percent from last year with more than 40,000 text messages sent. Vibes and U.S. Cellular developed the campaign to engage festival audiences and raise brand awareness while keeping family and friends connected.

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"We were excited to provide festival-goers with a fun and interactive way to enhance their Summerfest experience, which is another reason we have the happiest customers in wireless," said Rebecca Kruse, senior manager for Sponsorship and Events for U.S. Cellular. "This program not only allowed attendees to become a part of the entertainment, it also drove significant brand awareness for U.S. Cellular."

Vibes and U.S. Cellular created a complete mobile experience to entice attendees. Vibes executed mobile initiatives for U.S. Cellular's sponsorship of the Emerging Artists Series at Summerfest, where Vibes powered an SMS voting campaign and a Text-2-Screen campaign. The Emerging Artist SMS vote allowed attendees to vote and help select their favorite emerging artist each day during the 11-day festival. Unique participants increased 51 percent from 2010 to 2011. Additionally, Text-2-Screen participation increased 15 percent from 2010 to 2011, and 840 individuals participated in both the 2011 Text-2-Screen and Emerging Artist voting. Vibes also successfully drove U.S. Cellular customers to U.S. Cellular's Tone Room Deluxe – a service that allows users to access music content for ring tones and ring back tones – via bounce-back messages in the Text-2-Screen programs.

"Mobile marketing is one of the most powerful ways to reach and engage audiences," said Jack Philbin, co-founder and president of Vibes. "U.S. Cellular saw mobile as an opportunity to extend its sponsorship of Summerfest and immediately connect with concert attendees via the most personal devices users have, their mobile phones. As a result, U.S. Cellular was able to create meaningful conversations with users that not only supported their Summerfest experience, but also after the curtain dropped."

About Vibes

Founded in 1998, Vibes is a mobile marketing and technology leader that helps some of the world's biggest brands acquire, engage and deepen relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. Vibes' Catapult platform enables brands, agencies and media companies to launch a wide range of mobile solutions from SMS, to MMS, QR Codes, on-screen, alerts, mobile web, mobile incentives and integration with social platforms. Using Vibes' Mobile Relationship Management (MRM), companies forge immediate and long-lasting customer relationships by tapping into the uniquely personal nature of the mobile phone. The Company has delivered billions of mobile experiences on behalf of customers that include Verizon, Allstate, The Gap, Tribune, Fox, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Gannett and the Chicago Bulls. Vibes is one of only nine Tier 1 aggregators with secure, direct connections to all the major carriers. To learn more about Vibes, visit www.vibes.com or connect on Facebook.com/VibesMedia or Twitter.com/Vibes_Media.

About U.S. Cellular

U.S. Cellular rewards its customers with unmatched benefits and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier has a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices that are all backed by its high-speed nationwide network that has the highest call quality of any national carrier. U.S. Cellular was named a J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Customer Service Champion and received PC Magazine's 2011 Readers' Choice Award. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp

About Summerfest

Summerfest 2011 took place from June 29 – July 3 and July 5 – 10. Summerfest 2012 will take place June 27 – July 1 and July 3 – 8, from Noon until Midnight daily. Summerfest will be closed Monday. The World's Largest Music Festival and Milwaukee's cornerstone summer celebration attracts the music industry's hottest stars, emerging talent and local favorites. The Marcus Amphitheater and 10 additional stages, along with a diverse selection of food and beverage vendors, marketplaces and interactive exhibits, are set against the Lake Michigan and downtown backdrops, creating a festival experience like no other. Patrons can also enjoy Miller Lite, the Official Beer of Summerfest. For more details visit Summerfest.com.

SOURCE Vibes