Ahead of our 2018 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards, well be previewing the nominees in each category, giving you a glimpse at the high quality of entries weve seen this year. In this preview, we examine one of the most cutting-edge technologies currently available to mobile marketers, with the Most Effective RCS Campaign category.

Express and 3C Interactive – Express RCS Program
Express’ campaign was the first A2P mobile messaging deployment in North America to use RCS technology, with the aim of pioneering this new technology and maximising learnings while also testing the engagement of the audience with new RCS features. As part of Express’ brand positioning as an early adopter of innovative technology, it was important to be at the forefront of this new development which enabled the brand to deliver an ‘app-like’ shopping experience within messages.
Working with 3C Interactive, the team behind the campaign created an RCS mobile shopping experience that allowed to consumers to interact with a chatbot in order to browse clothing and gift ideas. The chatbot guided them through various paths using the new RCS ‘chip lists’ which presented suggested actions. Based on their selections, the chatbot displayed a carousel of rich cards, enabling the customer to access product information, images and more. The campaign leveraged almost all available RCS features and showcased the potential for sophisticated use cases that utilise multiple workflows and complex integrations.
Campaign-specific data was unavailable as the deployment was part of a beta program, but the ongoing pilot scheme continues to drive encouraging results, including higher overall engagement and higher click through rates. Express has already followed up the original campaign with two additional RCS deployments, and is planning to continue to use the technology as it moves towards global reach.

Walgreens and 3C Interactive – Text2Clip RCS Program
Launched in early 2018 as part of a new RCS pilot program, Walgreens was one of the first mobile messaging deployments in the US using RCS business messaging. The current Walgreens Text2Clip program drives value to Walgreens by enabling customers to engage with paperless coupons. Walgreens’ Balance Rewards members can text a shortcode to add paperless coupons and offers directly to their card, automatically redeeming them at checkout. Because the program has driven positive engagement metrics, Walgreens believed that an RCS-enabled experience would increase engagement further and improve the overall mobile experience.
The RCS mobile couponing experience enabled customers to access the latest coupons and offers via a dynamic chatbot solution, with users able to browse offers by category or search via keyword. Based on their selections, the customer is then presented with a 10 card carousel, enabling them to scroll through multiple offers and ‘clip’ the ones they wish to add to their account. The chatbot also contextually completes other requests such as viewing all clipped coupons or finding a nearby Walgreens location.
Campaign-specific data was unavailable as the deployment was part of an ongoing pilot program, but the campaign has produced positive results, including higher click through rates and higher overall engagement. The success of the campaign has informed future mobile messaging strategies, and Walgreens plans to continue RCS deployments as the technology grows in scale and adoption.

Join us to find out the winners of our 2018 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards at our prestigious Awards Ceremony on 15 November. Tickets are available now, so book your place and celebrate the industrys best and brightest with us.