Cingular Building Loyalty Program Through Free Concert Tour

Cingular is trying to build participation in its loyalty program through a concert tour held exclusively at Simon Malls.

Only Cingular customers and their friends are allowed to attend the Cingular Sounds Live concerts for free, which began July 29 in Los Angeles. The events take place take at 16 different Simon Mall locations after business hours. Cingular representatives at the shows are offering consumers three free ringtones if they register onsite for the loyalty program, Show Me Your Cingular (SMYC).

The youth market is important to Cingular because their “pester power” has an influence on parental purchasing habits, and because they are the “adult consumers of the future,” said Cingular executive director of marketing Dave Garver.

Individuals who enroll in SMYC must have Cingular service, be between 13 and 24 years old, and have a valid e-mail address and Internet access. SMYC members get VIP access to events such as Cingular Sounds Live, exclusive content like ringtones and graphics before they are released to the public, and access to an exclusive premier viewing area at events.

A Cingular-themed village opens three hours prior to the concerts where mall-goers can try out new phones and listen to performances by DJs.

“Teens congregate at the mall, and Simon wants to give them something to do while they are there,” said Doug Eckard, an account executive with Alloy’s AMP division, which handles the tour. “Cingular isn’t just doing this to try and expand its customer base, but also as a way to reward its loyal customers.”

The performers, including Fatty Koo, Brooke Valentine, Days Away and Gratitude, are up and coming artists whose songs can be downloaded as ringtones at Rucingular.com before or at the same time they hit the airwaves. The performances, which end Sept. 17 at Langhorne, PA, are scheduled to last from 30 minutes to an hour.

Fleishman-Hillard, Cingular’s agency for youth marketing, launched SMYC in February.

Wireless carriers came under attack last week by the activist group Commercial Alert, which sent a letter to all members of Congress asking them to investigate the marketing of mobile phones and services to kids. Cingular was not one of the companies targeted by the group. The group’s complaints included potential runaway billing by the brands, that phones are a distraction for that age group, and that they could make kids vulnerable to child predators. (Xtra, Aug. 2)