Carvel's 'Fudgie The Whale' Casts Line To Mobile Phones

Carvel hopes to carve out a spot on your cell phone.

Consumers will be able to interact with mascot Fudgie the Whale via mobile phones as part of the ice cream store chain's Arctive Summer Sweepstakes, which launches today, according to BRANDWEEK.

Now through July 31, consumers can text the name "Fudgie" to number 78247 on their mobile phones and receive a coupon for a blended coffee or an Arctic Blender. According to the pub, texting Fudgie will also enter consumers into the sweepstakes for a chance to win one of five 42-inch TVs.

It's really not as creepy as it sounds ("Fudgie the Whale"?). And it makes sense for budget-conscious Carvel.

"With mobile marketing we are attempting to break through the message clutter by using a relatively new medium. On the local level, we are hoping the coupons that consumers receive via text messaging will increase frequency among our more tech-savvy users," Lori Peterson, director of marketing for Carvel Ice Cream, tells the pub. "From a brand building perspective, the ability to forward to a friend enables potential new consumers to receive messages from a credible third party helping us build interest and trust with a younger new audience."

Get the full, er, scoop, here.

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