Obama's Veep Text Reached Record 2.9M

Scooped text is nation's 'largest mobile marketing event'

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 26, 2008 6:46 AM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama's cell phone text to supporters naming Joe Biden as his running mate reached 2.9 million people, according to Nielsen—enough for a $290,000 bill at normal text rates. The statistics company ranks the message the nation's "single largest mobile marketing event" to date.

But the value of the message goes "far beyond" the number of recipients, said a Nielsen statement. "Obama branded himself as cutting edge, inflated the already enormous press attention paid to his VP pick and further established a list of supporters' most coveted form of contact: their cell phone numbers."

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View of the overhead screen projected on the wall at Distributive Network's Washington office, Friday, Aug. 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The text message announcing the choice of Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as the vice presidential selection for the Democratic party is seen on a communication device, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008,. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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The VP message was sent in the late hours of Friday night and is, by many accounts, the single largest mobile marketing event in the US to date. - Nielsen Mobile press release

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Obama's Veep Text Reached Record 2.9M