The people have texted: Text messaging is the most widely used data application on the planet, with 2.4 billion active users. Nearly three-quarters of all mobile phone users send and receive text messages on their phones. In fact, the typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends or receives 357 text messages per month, compared to placing or receiving 204 monthly phone calls (Nielsen Media); which makes opportunities for text messaging marketing all the more ripe.

Consider this: In the early morning hours of Saturday, August 23, 2008, 2.9 million people received a 26-word text that revealed Barack Obama’s choice for a vice presidential running mate. They were the first to know the news. It was just part of a sweeping text messaging effort that helped propel Obama to the White House.