For the past six months, the campaign has built a database of more than 15,000 subscriptions. Users receive direct discounts off prescriptions and monthly offers upon subscription to the service.

“One objective of this campaign was to promote organic growth through a secondary response mechanism,” said Sean McKesson, CEO of State of Text, Atlanta.

The campaign was built by mobile business solutions company State of Text.

Mobile growth
Luscinia Health delivers printed coupons to its database members with a call-to-action message leading them to participate in the text program. A similar call-to-action announcement is visible on the company’s Web site.

Users send a text containing the word “savings” to subscribe to the service. A response is sent to the user containing a series of codes relative to the pharmacy’s records and instructions for the user to follow. After a response is received, users show the text to the their pharmacist to see if their medications qualify for savings.

Luscinia Health claims to save consumers an average of 26 percent on medical prescriptions.

Promoting good health
Duane Reade used relevant social content delivered with a mobile-first approach and a witty, local voice to deepen a relationship with New York that goes back decades while simultaneously driving a healthy return on investment.

The drugstore chain, which was acquired by Walgreens in 2010, has been a fixture in New York since the 1960s, today boasting more than 250 local stores. Recognizing that the city’s always on-the-go consumers are heavy mobile users and savvy shoppers, the chain has been building a social strategy over the past few years that relies heavily on content generated by brand ambassadors (see story).

Nationwide pharmacy franchise Health Mart offers patrons on-the-go prescription management options through application platform GetMyRx, a partnership that further evidences how mobile is equipping community pharmacies for the digital age with cost-effective tech.

GetMyRx is available to New Yorkers via Health Mart, allowing patients to order new prescriptions or refills in seconds, confirm the copay upfront and get their medications delivered the same day at no extra charge. Health Mart has led the effort to provide technology solutions that help independent pharmacies improve medication adherence, an area where community pharmacies are uniquely positioned to excel (see story).

By widening the realm of health care to extend to mobile sectors, pharmacies and health care savings companies can more likely appeal to consumers who are seeking quick couponing offers while on-the-go using their mobile device.

“The product itself is a onetime call-to-action that provides indefinite discounts, at all major pharmacies,” said Michele Barnhill, marketing director at Luscinia Health, Houston. “We chose State of Text and Echo Digital for our SMS campaign due to the ease of implementation.

“Once a customer presents the discount card to their pharmacist, the customer goes into a database at the pharmacy that can confirm if the patient qualifies for discounts on all future prescription drugs,” she said.

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Commerce Daily, New York