Leicester Embraces SMS

Leicester City Football Club has selected Opera Telecoms  Dragon technology, a self-service mobile platform, to create a new range of mobile phone campaigns enabling fans to interact with the club using SMS services.
Leicester City recognised that by interacting with fans via their mobile phones, it could increase fan loyalty towards the club. The new mobile campaign predominantly reaches out to the clubs fans, informing them of match games and ticket promotions through text messages.
Leicester City has embraced SMS services by setting up various interactive competitions linked with matches. At present, the most popular of these is Man of the Match, whereby fans can vote for their favourite player via text message.
Supported by Opera Telecoms Dragon self-service technology, the club is able to interact with fans more easily and more often.
The decision to implement Operas technology has meant that Leicester City can be more targeted with its marketing, reducing the volume and cost of direct mail. This has been replaced with e-shots and texts, which enable the club to communicate more effectively with fans. Although the technology has only been implemented for a few months, the club has already seen the results, in terms of increased ticket sales.
With new forms of interaction in place, we can not only communicate on a level identifiable to our fans, but also increase our revenue streams says Leicester City Marketing Manager Jamie Tabor. We have received a huge response from the SMS service, whether people respond directly to the message or through discussing with friends. It is certainly a good communication tool that spans across all age groups.