DIGITAL MARKETING TOOLS AND CHANNELS CASE EXAMPLE 7.2 #TextForHumanity As mobile phones are often used for negative purposes, Swedish telecoms company Sinch partnered with Mental Health America to create the world's first texting switchboard, #TextForHumanity, allowing anyone to send and receive a positive text from a s Mental Health America was founded in 1909 and its website states that it is dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental stranger. health of all' (Mental Health America Inc., 2021, p. 1). around 150 billion engagements every year. It has turned text messaging into mobile mar- Sinch has grown from six people in Stockholm in 2008 to a company that manages keting for companies such as Toyota, Nespresso and Clarins. There is growing evidence of negative content being shared via mobiles. The digital detox is emerging as people seek an escape from hate speech and online negativity. This has an impact on people's mental health and well-being. It is heightened on one of the most depress- ing days of the year which is said to be 'Blue Monday'- the third Monday in January-when people are back to work or college after the holidays and feel unhappy. Mental Health America has conducted a number of community outreach programmes but this one focused on placing the mobile at the centre of the activity. So #TextForHumanity was launched a week before Blue Monday. The service quickly gained media attention with celebrities sharing the link. #Text- ForHumanity connected strangers, anonymously enabling one person to send a positive message to another and receive a message back from someone else. Sinch's technology enabled it to take a basic text message and transform it into a small artwork to be shared across social media. The messages were curated so only positive texts were shared. Nearly 100,000 messages have been sent and received across 85 countries, with over 50,000 shares via social media. Since launching the service, Sinch has gained 300 per cent in business enquiries from other companies wishing to work with them. What started as a way to make mobile use more positive has become a mobile marketing campaign generating more business. Case questions Why do you feel the #TextForHumanity mobile marketing campaign was successful? How else could #TextForHumanity be developed? What are your thoughts about using simple text messages, rather than video or animated adverts as digital communications tools?