Understanding Campaign Description for A2P Campaign Registration

In the world of SMS marketing and communication, Application-to-Person (A2P) 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) has become a popular and reliable channel. To ensure transparency and regulatory compliance, carriers and governing bodies require detailed information about the campaigns that use this channel. One crucial piece of information in A2P 10DLC campaign registration is the Campaign Description. In this support article, we'll explore what a Campaign Description is and why it's essential.

What is a Campaign Description

A Campaign Description is a concise and informative summary of your text campaign. It serves as a brief overview that outlines the purpose, content, and scope of your campaign. Think of it as a snapshot that provides key details to carriers, regulators, and other stakeholders. This description helps these parties understand your campaign's intent and content quickly.  

There are two things to remember when creating your Campaign Description.  (1) It must first provide a clear and comprehensive description of the campaign objective and (2) what the end-user will experience after opting in.

The campaign description must be appropriate for the brand with which it is associated. For example, a real estate company should not try to create a campaign for a food delivery messaging use case. The Campaign Registry (TCR) and carriers will reject campaign registrations that they deem unrelated to or not consistent with the brand.

Why is a Campaign Description Important?

1. Regulatory Compliance:  Carriers and regulatory authorities require transparency regarding the use of A2P 10DLC. A clear Campaign Description demonstrates that your campaign adheres to the necessary guidelines and regulations.
2. Content Screening:  Carriers often review Campaign Descriptions to ensure that the SMS content aligns with their acceptable use policies. They need to verify that your campaign doesn't contain spam, phishing attempts, or other prohibited content.
3. Identifying Sender: The Campaign Description can help carriers identify you as the sender of the SMS messages, which is crucial for tracking and accountability.
4. Campaign Differentiation:  If you're running multiple campaigns simultaneously, a well-defined Campaign Description can help carriers distinguish between them easily.
5. Risk Mitigation:  Clear, honest, and accurate Campaign Descriptions reduce the risk of misunderstandings, fines, or service disruptions due to non-compliance.

What Should a Campaign Description Include?

A comprehensive Campaign Description typically contains the following elements:

• Campaign Purpose:  Explain the primary goal of your campaign. Is it for marketing, customer support, transactional alerts, or another purpose?
• Message Content:  Provide a brief description of the content you'll be sending. Mention if it includes promotional offers, news updates, transaction confirmations, etc.
• Frequency: Indicate how often you plan to send messages as part of this campaign. This helps carriers anticipate the volume of traffic.
• Keywords: If you'll be using specific keywords in your SMS messages (e.g., "SAVINGS," "UPDATES"), include them in your Campaign Description.
• Sender Information: Provide details about your organization or brand, including your business name, address, and contact information.
• Target Audience:  Describe the intended recipients of your messages, such as existing customers, subscribers, or a specific demographic.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:   Any reference to loan arrangements, including modification, direct lending, foreclosure, or short sales, should not be used, as they require a special campaign type and a much more stringent vetting process.  We recommend not using “Cash” in your description, as this word tends to be flagged automatically.  

If you have any questions or need assistance with your Campaign Description, please email us at support@reiblackbook.com before submitting your campaign, as we are happy to help.

Examples of Good and Bad Campaign Description

To assist in giving you some clarity on Campaign Descriptions, below you will find some GOOD examples as well as BAD examples of Campaign Descriptions.

Some GOOD examples are as follows:

• [Company Name] is a real estate company that buys, sells real estate.  This campaign is used to  provide real-time alerts to customers regarding our new properties for sale that they opted in to receive on [Website Name] by entered their information including phone number and agreeing to receive text messages.  These opted in customers can expect to receive up to 1/msg/weekly.
• [Company Name] is a real estate company that buys, sells and rents real estate.  This campaign is used to  provide real-time alerts to customers regarding new properties available that they opted in to receive on [Website Name].
• [Company Name] uses this campaign to communicate with customers who have opted in by texting a keyword to [phone number].
• [Company Name] uses this campaign to communicate with customers who have opted in and agree to receive text messages from [Company Name].

Some BAD examples are as follows:

• [Company Name] uses this campaign to reach out to potential buyers to get them to sign up for our Preferred Buyer’s Club.  WHY IS THIS A BAD EXAMPLE?  This example clearly indicates that this person has not collected appropriate consent before sending messages and this campaign will be rejected.  This example also does not including what the end-user will experience after opting in.
• [Company Name] uses this campaign to reach out and help homeowners facing foreclosure.  WHY IS THIS A BAD EXAMPLE?  This example is a compliance red flag as referencing foreclosure and will automatically be rejected.  If your campaign is designed specifically for helping those facing foreclosure, please reach out to us prior to submission as this requires a special use case submission and vetting process.  This example also does not imply the end-user has opted in for messages nor does it include what they will experience after opting in.
• [Company Name] uses this campaign to assist homeowners in distress.  WHY IS THIS A BAD EXAMPLE?  This example is also a compliance red flag as any reference to loan arrangements including modification, direct lending, foreclosure or short sale require a special campaign type and vetting process.

Thank You!

We appreciate you taking the time to learn about Campaign Descriptions.  If you would have any additional questions, please free feel to email us at support@reiblackbook.com.