BROWNSTEIN MOBILIZES
TO LAUNCH TEXT-TO-PAY
IN PHILLY

Mobile payment (the ability to send and receive money through a cell phone) is commonplace in the United Kingdom, Japan and Africa, but the United States has been very slow to adopt this technology. Sharif Alexandre recognized that while big-name players like Visa and PayPal have dabbled in mobile payments, none of their services have been widely adopted due to their smartphone requirement. Alexandre then created XIPWIRE, the first mobile payment platform that would operate on SMS-based text messaging, allowing nearly every mobile phone user to participate using a simple text.

In March 2010, XIPWIRE approached Brownstein Group (BG) to help establish credibility for the brand, educate users on the industry and the technology, and drive new user sign-ups. The catch? Do it in four weeks! Just before engaging BG, Alexandre agreed to sponsor the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival – a popular street fair in downtown Philadelphia with over 50,000 attendees. The event, held on May 1, was billed as XIPWIRE’s hometown debut, and Alexandre intended to use it as a mass user sign-up. But in order to capitalize on the potential new users at the festival, BG would need to give locals a serious education in mobile payments. Through a four-week media relations campaign, BG would have to establish XIPWIRE’s credibility or the festival launch would be a bust.

Through industry research about the prevalence of mobile payments across the world, we developed a running list of the many uses of mobile payments for Philadelphians. Of course, they could be used to pay for lunch at a restaurant or for a sweater at a boutique, but beyond the traditional retail environment, we found many social instances, such as splitting a dinner bill with friends when no one has change. Ultimately, our research adequately prepared us to answer the questions “Why mobile payments?” and “Why now?”

BG leveraged XIPWIRE’s unique attributes – the use of new technology, local business owners, the Rittenhouse Row event tie-in, as well as the potential for Philadelphia to become the first mobile-enabled city in the country tosecure media coverage. In addition to the media campaign, our team was simultaneously working to maximize XIPWIRE’s exposure at the festival. Leading up to the festival, we worked with the event team to create custom XIP interactions to help make attendees feel comfortable with the service, such as the “Best Festival Dish” text-to-vote contest, special promos for festival retailers that were accepting XIPWIRE payments, and “Fashion Powered by XIPWIRE,” a contest to allow attendees to vote for their favorite runway look.

THE CONSUMER USER BASE WAS
INCREASED FROM LESS THAN 100 TO
OVER 1,200 AND THE RETAIL USER BASE
GREW FROM 1 TO 27!

The result? XIPWIRE was everywhere! Forty-two media placements, including The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Business Journal, Metro, Philadelphia Weekly, City Paper, Investor’s Business Daily, Daily Pennsylvanian, Delaware County Times, The Examiner, Philly.com, Thrillist.com, Inc.com, FOXbusiness.com, Wireless Week, ABC 6, NBC 10, CBS 3, FOX 29’s “Good Day Philadelphia,” KYW1060, Phillychitchat, uwishunu, TechnicallyPhilly, GEEKadelphia, and SmallBizTechnology. Twelve million impressions were made, the consumer user base was increased from less than 100 to over 1,200, and the retail user base grew from 1 to 27.

INFRAGISTICS

Infragistics reached out to Brownstein Group to help it stand out. We took this effort on from the ground up to develop a brand presence that got to the heart of what Infragistics was about.

PFCU

For Philadelphia Federal Credit Union (PFCU), BG created a brand with a sense of humor and reinforced the fact that PFCU answers only to its customers. The campaign included billboards, bus wraps and subway car signage, in-store sales collateral, a website, radio spots and public relations.