T-Mobile top-up its Friday

Rating: Thank **** (PAYG) its Friday

by Bena Roberts

T-Mobile is offering any PAYG or U-Fix customers texts at the weekend if they top-up on Friday (minimum GBP 10). Consumers have to dial 150 to register. The promo runs from July 16 2007 to October 16 2007.

From the press release
Phil Chapman, Director of Marketing, T-Mobile, said: “We’ve spent a lot of time finding out how our pay-as-you-go and U-Fix customers want to be rewarded. The overriding message that came out of our research was that they want a reward that they’ll actually use - one that is simple to understand and doesn’t come with a lot of small print. That’s why we’re offering unlimited texts all day on Saturday and Sunday at any time, to any network. All our customers need to do is make sure that Fridays become the day that they top-up - to make every Friday, Top-Up Friday.”

What we think?
Groundbreaking hybrid tariff? Choke? I have always had a soft spot for T-Mobile –but there are too many frees in this press release and there is nothing groundbreaking about giving SMS away. OK U-Fix is a cool initiative…. but…

This is an OK promotion that might encourage users to top-up on Friday simply to pimp T-Mobile every weekend by spamming as many texts as possible. T-Mobile needs to ditch the free offers and replace them with words such as tight, true, tough, trigger and treat. Why? Because people top-up because they have run out of credit - not because its a Friday.

The point I am trying to make is that T-Mobile needs to create value and for this it needs the mother of all viral promotions to encourage uptake and use. This means promotion of services that will drive traffic rather than merely offer SMS free at the weekend. For example what is your U-Fix combination or a twitter style what are you doing at the weekend (best SMS gets a prize). Trust me - nerdy things such as these will rock.

Related News:

1. Verizon set to finally finish Alltel acquisition this Friday
2. Pitch to GoMo News on Friday 12 September at CTIA! Around the Mobile Jam Session
3. M6 Mobile by Orange offers new unlimited TV offer and Inside M6 Mobile Portal
4. Vybemobile extends SMS promotion for two years in Germany
5. Spam and security concerns a growing issue for SMS