How a pizza chain gained 160,000 text subscribers in a day
A large pizza chain with stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates lets its stores text local customers. To do that, it needed far more people on the list. One keyword, FREEPIZZA, did it in less than a day.
01The challenge
The challenge: growing a restaurant SMS marketing list
Local texts need a national list.
The chain lets franchisees text local customers about store discounts, charity events, and local moments, with brand safeguards such as profanity filters in place. Those texts only work if customers are on the list, and the marketing channel it had relied on converted at about 1%.
FREEPIZZA
A short series of prompts confirmed the opt-in.
Then a promotion code, redeemable online for a free pizza.
The flow described in the case study. Message wording here is summarized, not the original copy.
02What changed
The fix: a FREEPIZZA keyword campaign on a short code
Free pizza for the first 100,000 people who texted.
Our team helped build a keyword campaign offering a free pizza to the first 100,000 people who texted FREEPIZZA to the chain's short code. A few simple prompts completed the opt-in, then a code arrived to redeem online.
We stayed with the team all day. When autocorrect stopped some people entering the keyword, we changed the campaign in real time so they still got their pizza.
The offer went viral on social media.
03The result
The result: 160,000 text opt-ins in under a day
160,000 new subscribers, and their email addresses too.
All 100,000 codes were claimed in less than 12 hours. The chain kept going to 160,000 opt-ins, giving 60,000 more customers a deal.
Because codes were redeemed online, the chain collected email addresses during ordering too, giving each store new ways to reach customers locally.
The campaign closed after 160,000 opt-ins.
National pizza chain results at a glance
Keyword campaigns on a short code are the fastest way for restaurant brands to grow an SMS marketing list with clear consent, and local franchise messaging only works once customers have opted in.
| Measure | Before | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Planned campaign length | 6 days | Under 12 hours to give away all codes |
| Free pizza codes claimed | — | 100,000 |
| Opt-ins at close | Goal: 100,000 | 160,000 |
| Previous channel conversion rate | About 1% | — |
How to run a program like National pizza chain’s
- Make the offer irresistiblePromote a clear reward for texting one keyword to a short code.
- Keep the opt-in shortUse a few simple prompts to confirm consent, then send the code.
- Watch the launch liveMonitor entries and fix issues, such as autocorrected keywords, in real time.
- Capture email at redemptionRedeem codes online so you collect email addresses too.
The brands and retail program on Waterfall covers every step, with SMS, MMS, RCS, and WhatsApp on one platform.
The support we had from Mobile Commons was amazing. They helped us build our keyword campaign and stood by us the entire day to ensure its launch was successful.
What they use
What National pizza chain ran on Waterfall.
SMS, MMS, RCS, and WhatsApp on one platform, with mobile strategists who help plan, write, and run each campaign alongside your team.
- Short code keyword
- Opt-in prompts
- Promotion codes
- Local store messaging
Take it with you
Get the National pizza chain case study as a two-page PDF.
The results, the charts, and how they did it, in a format you can forward to your team or bring to a budget meeting.
We ask for your work email once. A strategist may follow up about what you read, and nothing else. See the Privacy Policy.
FanUp
HipcricketA televised text-to-win contest captured email from 81.78% of entrants.Read the case study →
Health care and advocacy · United States949people texted in for enrollment helpPlanned Parenthood
mCommons messagingA bilingual ZIP code keyword reached Spanish speakers and people without internet access before the deadline.Read the case study →
Environmental nonprofit · DC10,700subscribers added to the trivia listOcean Conservancy
mCommons messagingA trivia question every Tuesday built a list of 10,700 supporters who reply more than half the time.Read the case study →Want results like National pizza chain’s?
Tell us the outcome you need, whether that is turnout, donations, enrollments, or sales. A strategist will show you the program we would build for your list.