HipCricket, a Kirkland, Wash. company that helps radio stations conduct marketing campaigns using text messages, said it has just signed up a group of Hispanic-focused radio and TV stations to build loyalty groups that can be targeted by marketers. “What’s in it for a brand is a single buy to reach out to Hispanics who have opted in for offers and information,” said Jeff Hasen, HipCricket’s chief marketing officer. The service, available in English and Spanish, attracts the sometimes hard-to-reach Hispanic demographic that marketers value for their tremendous spending power.

The trick will be keeping consumers interested—advertising by text message is still new and could easily be taken as spam, and if people are still paying for each one, the ad must be compelling. In HipCricket’s case, a listener might initially get roped in by texting in to get a list of the last few songs played. They then get a second offer asking if they’d like to be apart of the VIP club. If they say yes, “that’s when the on-going dialogue begins,” said HipCricket’s CEO Ivan Braiker. “We want to provide them with relevant information and offers—stuff they are asking for, not giving them stuff that will anger them.” In a previous campaign, they said a Hispanic-targeted radio station in Houston received 6,000 texts for the chance to win a prize during a Sprite campaign. Altogether, HipCricket’s Hispanic network covers about 50 Hispanic radio and TV stations in 24 markets, reaching nearly one million listeners. With those types of numbers, they say they big brands are involved, but they aren’t saying yet which ones.

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