Lauren Kerensky, a Jersey Shore native, joined ADOTAS as an editorial intern for the 2006 summer. Graduating as an English/Creative Writing major from Colgate University and interning as an entertainment news writer, in addition to being an involved foodie, bring Lauren’s writing topics and interests to span a wide array of genres.

Mobile is the ever-expanding frontier for interactive campaigns and it is always interesting to see how advertisers utilize wireless capabilities to engage audiences. The Carling campaign in London for example, which we recently covered , integrates a GPS-enabled Bar Finder, which makes perfect sense. People pass all sorts of places when they’re on the move, and they have their mobile devices with them, so why not find a way to increase brand recognition as consumers travel? The same goes for scavenger hunt-style promotions that drive users to various locations.

Understandably, not all brands can tie in an activity, nor do they need to. The benefit of mobile marketing is that the audience is always accessible, regardless of time or place. However, sometimes the activities involved in the campaigns seem sort of, for lack of a better term, random. The latest offender is a joint venture between Virgin Mobile and Vibes Media. The result is a “text adventure game” in which teenage Virgin Mobile customers respond to questions and react to situations created by Vibes.

For me, such a “game” conjures up images of teens in a variety of situations with their heads locked forward in texting position, fingers frantically typing away. Those situations include everything from activities that could use a little entertainment, like long subway rides, to situations where texting is inappropriate, like class, and even to things that require the utmost attention, like crossing into oncoming traffic for example.

Oh, and the game’s title is the “Back-2-School Hook-Up Text Adventure Game,” and yes, that is “Hook-Up” in the romantic sense. So perhaps it’s not so much the strange choice of medium as it is what I believe to be Virgin Mobile/Vibes Media’s complete miss. The game (and I’m not sure where the “adventure” aspect comes in) challenges players to try to virtually “hook up” with their text-generating date, provided by Vibes. Each text message choice puts the player closer to hooking up or striking out. Responses to the choices are intended to be edgy like, “Rawr. He can't hide how much he's loving this. Shake those HIPS." Sounds just like the dating advice we hope to pass onto our female youth.

The average path of texts, which ends in letting the player know their hook-up success, requires between twenty-five and fifty messages. Now, I enjoy texting, but that seems to exceed inbox capacity. When a player has completed a “date,” she (or I suppose the occasional he) gets a label like “Too Shy,” “Too Bold,” or even the profound “Playa Playa.” A tracker also provides some words of future dating wisdom. I’d imagine a mobile marketing provider would not be the authority on best dating practices, but that’s just me.

Perhaps this campaign is attractive to teens out there, particularly with its sweepstakes for five Virgin Mobile Stash Visa Pre-Paid Cards that come equipped with $500, but to an individual that frequently reads about mobile marketing campaigns, and what I like to think of as a tactful human being, this campaign brings the mobile medium a few steps backwards.

Virgin and Vibes have undertaken other promotions that involve text messaging, picture messaging, ringtones, and trivia challenges, and perhaps they should stick to such schemes and avoid advising on social relations. Virgin Mobile customers can only play the “Hook-Up Text Adventure Game” until October 2nd, at which point participants should look for a better source of “hook-up” inspiration.

Traversing the New Media Maze: Dave Smith Sheds Light on Life at a UK Full-Service AgencyAs ADOTAS continues its sojourn across the pond to gain some firsthand perspective on overseas online/interactive advertising culture, we arrive [...] more...

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