The Most Creative SMS/Text Campaigns We’ve Seen This Month

Most brand texts are fine. They do the job. Cool. Noted. Archived forever in the part of my brain reserved for things I’ll never think about again.

But every month, a handful of texts make their way to me and are deemed worthy enough to screenshot/save/forward to my boss for this blog and share with you. 

That’s what this series is. Every month, we’re pulling the most creative, most swipe-worthy SMS campaigns we’ve come across and breaking down why they work so you can steal the idea (ethically) for your own program.

Patagonia sent a text about baby bald eagles. And people lost their minds. One recipient reportedly watched the cam for 20 straight minutes and called it “quality programming.”

Patagonia knows their customer. Outdoorsy, nature-loving, probably owns a Nalgene that’s been to more national parks than most people (I am most people). Sending them a live feed of bald eagle chicks is not a distraction from the brand. It is the brand. Who doesn’t love baby animals?

Why it works: It delivers genuine value with zero ask attached. It builds brand love instead of just driving a transaction. And it creates the most powerful distribution channel money can’t buy: people sharing it themselves.

The steal: What does your customer actually care about? Not what they buy from you! What do they care about? Find one piece of content, news, or a resource in that space and send it with no strings attached once a month. It’s a long game, but the trust it builds is worth every penny. We promise..

As a New Yorker, getting us to feel warmly toward rats is, objectively, one of the hardest marketing challenges on earth. Right behind spotted lantern flies, rats are persona non grata numero uno.

PETA made us care anyway. Much to my chagrin. Here’s how:

Instead of leading with an ask (sign this petition, donate, take action) they led with a quiz. “Which rat fact is your favorite?” Then they hit you with options: rats giggle. Rats help each other out. Rats can learn tricks.

Suddenly you’re thinking, okay, rats are kind of… interesting? You reply with your favorite. You’ve now taken a small action. You’re slightly more invested than you were 30 seconds ago.

Then PETA sends the follow-up: a bigger ask. And because you’ve already engaged, the ask lands softer. This is the “micro-yes” framework: a technique borrowed from sales psychology where you get someone to agree to something small before asking for something big. 

Why it works: Humans are hardwired for consistency. Once we’ve said yes, we’re more likely to say yes again. It reduces friction before the real ask. It makes the subscriber feel heard. It reframes how someone thinks about a topic before asking them to act on it.

The steal: Got a segment that isn’t converting? Stop leading with the ask. Start with a question they’d want to answer. Make it easy, make it interesting, and then move them forward.

One of the biggest downfalls of text is that it’s flat. It has no tone of voice, no warmth, no vibe (unless you write really well). Even then, you’re working against limitations.

Voice notes, however, are changing that!

NYX sent an MMS with a branded voice note featuring Megan Thee Stallion! It listened like a polished radio spot, except it arrived in the same place I text my mom. It felt pretty cool.

Other brands are doing this differently. MaryRuth’s Organics, a wellness brand, sent a holiday voice note from their founder: lower production value, no celebrity, but deeply personal! It was a wonderful strategy that felt really personal to the brand.

Both approaches work. One buys you cool. The other buys you trust. Neither is wrong. It just depends on what your brand needs more of right now.

Why it works: Audio adds emotion and authenticity that copy can’t replicate.

The steal: You don’t need Megan Thee Stallion’s budget to do this (though if you have it, CALL HER). A founder voice note, a quick audio message from your team, or even a well-produced 15-second clip can create the same effect at a fraction of the cost. Experiment with MMS and see how your audience responds.

I love a Sunday re-engagement text. Every Sunday night, Revolve sends a text about what to wear this week and it’s brilliant! It’s built around a real, recurring problem their customer has every single week. What am I going to wear? 

The magic here is in the timing and the framing. Sunday night is when people are mentally prepping for the week. Opening your texts and seeing “here’s your outfit inspo for this week” is useful.

Why it works: It’s built around a predictable customer behavior, delivered at the right moment, with value that is authentic attached. 

The steal: What does your customer stress about every week? A restaurant customer might dread “what’s for dinner.” A gym customer might dread “what’s my workout today.” A personal finance app customer might dread “did I overspend this week.” Find the Sunday Scary and be the brand that fixes it.

None of these campaigns required a massive budget or a genius idea. They required one thing: thinking about what the customer would want to receive, rather than what the brand wanted to send.

Want to start building campaigns like these? Mobiniti gives you the tools to run all of it (keyword campaigns, drip flows, MMS, two-way conversations) without needing an enterprise contract or a dedicated SMS team.

Start free, and send something worth me screenshotting and sending to my boss!