Marketing solution ExactTarget Marketing Cloud has joined forces with Line to bring their free call and messaging services to marketers, allowing them to connect with customers in new ways. The company, owned by SalesForce, hopes the move will allow for more direct communication between brands and consumers.

Using data managed by ExactTarget or from their own databases, brands will be able to sent personalised messages through Lines app, which currently has 450m registered users. If customers grant permission, marketers can also link users Line accounts with their profile in the ExactTarget Marketing Cloud, giving them a 360 degree view of the customer with engagement and conversion data.

“Marketing has shifted from brands managing customers through campaigns, to brands and customers engaging on a journey together. Now, more than ever, that journey is taking place on a mobile device,” said ExactTarget Marketing Cloud CEO Scott McCorkle. “ExactTarget Marketing Cloud empowers brands to take advantage of this shify by connecting with customers in new ways through SMS, MMS push notifications, and now mobile messaging, including Line and its more than 450m global users.”

The large built-in audience that comes with partnering with Line is an important benefit for ExactTarget and SalesForce, as consumers lines of communication grow ever more diverse. “Brands that lack the means or that have the sensibility to realise that not every consumer will download their app look to the mass reach of these third-party platforms to engage with consumers to build brand, distribute coupons, or even transact,” said Julie Ask, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc, in its report Mobiles Trojan Horse: The Messaging Platform.