SMS Marketing Examples · Text Message Marketing Case Studies

SMS Marketing Showdown: Papa John’s vs. Papa Murphy’s

Get ready for another SMS marketing showdown! This time we’re comparing the text message marketing strategies of two well-known pizza brands: Papa John’s and Papa Murphy’s. In this showdown, we break down the similarities and differences between the two brands. For more text message examples from these two brands and others, visit SMS Archives, the first search engine for SMS marketing—and be sure to check out our SMS marketing home improvement store showdown, Lowe’s vs Home Depot.

 

Papa John’s vs. Papa Murphy’s: Similarities

First up, let’s check out how these two pizza titans are similar.

Similarity #1: Both Brands Display Promo Codes in Their SMS Messages

SMS Marketing Showdown - Papa Johns vs Papa Murphys - Game Day

As shown in the examples above, both brands always display coupon codes in their SMS messages. In SMS marketing, it’s smart to consider the subscriber’s experience. By including the coupon code directly in the SMS message, subscribers don’t have to click a link or take additional steps to access the offer. It’s also easily accessible again in the future since the code stays in the text thread, where subscribers know they can find it.

For more info about mobile coupons, check out 28 Mobile Coupon Examples from Top Brands.

 

Similarity #2: They Both Start Texts with Their Brand Name

SMS Marketing Papa John’s vs. Papa Murphy’s

You may have noticed in the examples above that both brands start their text messages by introducing themselves. That’s always a good move. Subscribers may not have your number stored in their phones along with their friends’ and relatives’ numbers. By starting the message with your brand name, you immediately let subscribers know this text is coming from one of their favorite brands. You also increase the likelihood that they’ll open your text to check out the deal. Consumers may subscribe to multiple brands. If they can’t tell which brand a deal is coming from, it’s much harder for them to take action and buy your products.

 

Papa John’s vs. Papa Murphy’s: Differences

Papa John’s and Papa Murphy’s do have some differences—and not just in the flavor of their ‘za! Below are a few difference in their text message marketing campaigns.

 

Difference #1: They Send Different Types of Mobile Marketing Messages

SMS Marketing Showdown - Papa Johns vs Papa Murphys - Valentines Day

One difference between the two brands’ mobile marketing messages is the type text messages they send. Papa Murphy’s almost exclusively sends SMS messages like the example above. The text messages consist of coupons, promotions, and the latest Papa Murphy’s deals. Papa John’s sends both SMS and MMS marketing alerts. In the example above, Papa John’s created a compelling marketing message that includes a promotion-specific image and information about the deal.

MMS messaging offers a wider variety of messaging features. MMS increases the character limit and allows brands to include a subject line and add media content such as a photo or a video. SMS marketing is a very effective strategy to increase revenue and engage with subscribers, but with MMS marketing, brands can use more features to capture subscribers’ attention and interest.

Check out these great MMS marketing examples from the retailer Avenue: 31 Fabulous MMS Marketing Examples From Avenue.

 

Difference #2: Papa Murphy’s Doesn’t Include a Clickable Link, Papa John’s Does

SMS Marketing Showdown - Papa Johns vs Papa Murphys - Weekend

Write messages that both promote your product with enticing offers AND give you insight and analytics about the effectiveness of your messages. Including a clickable link within the message allows Papa John’s to track click-through-rates and purchase rates and gather additional data to compare the performance of different campaign efforts. Some SMS software providers offer link shortening tools on their platforms. Tatango automatically shortens your links so they take up less space and help your messages look cleaner.

Links are important. Check out some great examples in our post: 12 Best SMS Marketing Messages with Link Previews.

 

See More Text Messages from Papa John’s and Papa Murphy’s

Sign up for Papa John’s text messages to get the latest deal updates.

Sign up for Papa Murphy’s text and MySLICE rewards program for exclusive deals and updates.

Did you enjoy this pizza brand showdown? If you want to see how other competing SMS marketing programs compare, let us know in the comments!

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