For companies like The Coca-Cola Company, managing multiple brands (e.g., Sprite, Mountain Dew, Aquafina) under a single tax/legal entity requires a careful approach when setting up 10DLC (10-digit long code) A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging campaigns.
This guideline will walk you through the incorrect and correct ways to set up 10DLC A2P messaging campaigns for companies with multiple brands, providing clear examples for each.
The Incorrect Setup: A One-Size-Fits-All Approach
When setting up 10DLC messaging for a company with multiple brands, it can be tempting to simplify the process by using a single 10DLC brand and campaign for all your brands. However, this method leads to potential compliance issues and could cause confusion when it comes to message attribution.
Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Incorrect Setup:
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Create a 10DLC brand with the company name: The first step in the incorrect setup involves creating a 10DLC brand using the company’s name. In this case, you would use "The Coca-Cola Company Ltd" as the brand name.
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Create a 10DLC campaign for the company name: Next, you create a single campaign that describes the company as a whole. The campaign might say something like: "Coca-Cola uses this to promote their beverages."
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Link the campaign to a phone number: Afterward, the same number is linked to the company’s campaign. This number is then used for all brands under the company.
- Send messages for multiple brands using the same campaign: The biggest issue arises here: using the same campaign to send promotional messages for all of Coca-Cola’s brands—Mountain Dew, Sprite, and Coca-Cola itself. This leads to campaign drift, a compliance violation.
The Correct Setup: Keeping Each Brand Separate
To comply with 10DLC messaging guidelines and maintain clarity for consumers, each brand within the company must have its own unique setup. Here’s how to correctly set up 10DLC messaging for multi-brand companies.
Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Correct Setup:
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Create a unique 10DLC brand for each brand: In the correct setup, you create a separate 10DLC brand for each individual brand (e.g., Mountain Dew, Sprite, Coca-Cola). The company name should be mentioned in the DBA (Doing Business As) field, ensuring that each brand is clearly distinguished from the others.
- Mountain Dew Brand: Brand Name: Mountain Dew, DBA: The Coca-Cola Company Ltd
- Sprite Brand: Brand Name: Sprite, DBA: The Coca-Cola Company Ltd
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Coca-Cola Brand: Brand Name: Coca-Cola, DBA: The Coca-Cola Company Ltd
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Create a campaign for each brand: Each brand needs its own distinct campaign. The campaign description should clearly specify which brand is being promoted. For example:
- Mountain Dew Campaign: Campaign Description: "Mountain Dew uses this to promote their beverages."
- Sprite Campaign: Campaign Description: "Sprite uses this to promote their beverages."
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Coca-Cola Campaign: Campaign Description: "Coca-Cola uses this to promote their beverages.”
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Send brand-specific messages: Each campaign is then used only for sending messages related to that specific brand. This keeps messaging organized and prevents cross-brand confusion.
Campaign Drift: What It Is and Why It Matters
Campaign drift occurs when the messages sent out deviate from the approved use-case. While campaign drift can happen for many reasons, one common cause is the improper setup of multi-brand messaging campaigns. When messages that are not aligned with the brand are sent using the same campaign, it’s considered a violation of the approved use-case.
How Campaign Drift Happens:
In the incorrect setup, you may use a single 10DLC campaign to send messages for various brands like Mountain Dew, Sprite, and Coca-Cola. Even though the campaign description may specify one brand, sending messages related to multiple brands causes campaign drift. This confuses both consumers and mobile carriers, and it’s a clear violation of 10DLC guidelines.
Consequences of Campaign Drift:
Failure to comply with the 10DLC campaign setup rules can have serious consequences. Mobile carriers and regulatory bodies are vigilant in ensuring proper message attribution, and any deviation from the approved use-case can result in:
- Temporary suspension: If your campaign is flagged for drift, it might face a temporary suspension, preventing you from sending messages until the issue is resolved.
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Permanent deactivation: Repeated violations or serious cases of campaign drift may result in the permanent deactivation of your 10DLC campaign, meaning you won’t be able to use the number for messaging anymore.
Ensuring that each brand has its own unique campaign and message flow minimizes the risk of campaign drift and helps maintain smooth, compliant messaging operations.