This paper describes a case study of an advertising campaign that has individual short message service (SMS) interaction concerning a health marketing message as the central element. Decisive factors include the widespread use of SMS, the opportunity for interaction and the independence from time and place. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of engaging health consumers through SMS campaigns. Advertisements were run for four weeks from 1st January, 2006 to 1st February, 2006 with the message ‘Test yourself to see what kind of a smoker you are and get help to stop smoking’. The test is a modified Fagerstrøm questionnaire. Over a four-week period, 10,565 people participated in the test. The case illustrates that it is most certainly possible to engage consumers and provide individual marketing via SMS mobile telephony.
StreetR. L.Jr. (2003). Mediated consumer-provider communication in cancer care: The empowering potential of new technologies. Patient Educ. Counsel. 50, 99–104.
2.
ConlonR. (2001). eHealth Tools and eHealth Management — Opportunities and Challenges for Pharma Companies and MCOs, Business Insights Ltd, London.
3.
MechanicD. (1999). Issues in promoting health. Soc. Sci. Med.48, 711–718.
4.
ShuterJ.KalkutG. E.PinonM. W.BellinE. Y.ZingmanB. S. (2003). A computerized reminder system improves compliance with Papanicolaou smear recommendations in an HIV care clinic. Int. J. STD AIDS14(10), 675–680.
5.
HeardC.BlackburnJ. L.ThompsonM. S.WallaceS. M. (1984). Evaluation of a computer-assisted medication refill reminder system for improving patient compliance. Canadian Pharmceut. J.117(10), 473–477.
6.
FoxM. C.CreininM. D.MurthyA. S.HarwoodB.ReidL. M. (2003). Feasibility study of the use of a daily electronic mail reminder to improve oral contraceptive compliance. Contraception68(5), 365–371.
7.
DiniE. F.LinkinsR. W.SigafoosJ. (2000). The impact of computer-generated messages on childhood immunization coverage. Am. J. Prev. Med.18(2), 132–139.
8.
CasebeerL.RoesenerG. H. (1995). Patient informatics: Using a computerized system to monitor patient compliance in the treatment of hypertension. Medinfo8(2), 1500–1502.
9.
BairdT. K.BroekemeierR. L.AndersonM. W. (1984). Effectiveness of a computer-supported refill reminder system. Am. J. Hosp. Pharm.41(11), 2395–2397.
10.
MonseyM.IoffeI.BeatiniA.LukeyB.SantiagoA.JamesA. B. (2003). Increasing compliance with stretch breaks in computer users through reminder software. Work21(2), 107–111.
11.
PatelA. M. (2001). Using the Internet in the management of asthma. Curr. Opin. Pulm. Med.7, 39–42.
12.
AnhøjJ.NielsenL. (2004). Quantitative and qualitative usage data of an internet-based asthma monitoring tool. J. Med. Internet Res.6, e23.
13.
Ferrer-RocaO.FrancoBurbano K.CardenasA.PulidoP.Diaz-CardamaA. (2006). Web-based diabetes control. J. Telemed. Telecare10, 227–281.
VilellaA.BayasJ. M.DiazM. T.GuinovartC.DiezC.SimoD.MunozA.CerezoJ. (2004). The role of mobile phones in improving vaccination rates in travelers. Prev. Med.38(4), 503–509.
16.
AnhøjJ.MøldrupC. (2004). Feasibility of collecting data from patients through SMS (short message service) for an asthma diary: Response rate analysis and focus group evaluation from a pilot study. J. Med. Internet Res.6, e42.
17.
Ferrer-RocaO.CardenasA.Diaz-CardamaA.PulidoP. (2004). Mobile phone text messaging in the management of diabetes. J. Telemed. Telecare10, 282–285.
18.
DownerS. R.MearaJ. G.Da CostaA. C. (2005). Use of SMS text messaging to improve outpatient attendance. Med. J. Australia183, 366–368.
19.
BramleyD.RiddellT.WhittakerR.CorbettT.LinR.WillsM.JonesM.RodgersA. (2005). Smoking cessation using mobile phone text messaging is as effective in Maori as non-Maori. New Zeal. Med. J.118, 1494.
20.
RodgersA.CorbettT.BramleyD.RiddellT.WillsM.LinR.JonesM. (2005). Do U smoke after TXT? Results of a randomised trial of smoking cessation using mobile phone text messaging. Tob. Control14(4), 255–261.
21.
FagerstromK. (2003). Time to first cigarette; the best single indicator of tobacco dependence?. Monaldi Arch. Chest Dis.59, 91–94.
22.
FagerstromK. O. (1978). Measuring degree of physical dependence to tobacco smoking with reference to individualization of treatment. Addict Behav.3, 235–241.
23.
FagerstromK. O.SchneiderN. G. (1989). Measuring nicotine dependence: A review of the Fagerstrom tolerance questionnaire. J. Behav. Med.12, 159–182.
24.
HeathertonT. F.KozlowskiL. T.FreckerR. C.FagerstromK. O. (1991). The Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence: A revision of the Fagerstrom tolerance questionnaire. Br. J. Addict.86, 1119–1127.
