Insurance giant Allstate Corp. has launched the Tag In mobile messaging application for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry users to advocate safety and build brand awareness.

Tag In by Allstate lets gives users a way to stay connected with family, friends or colleagues with a quick message and GPS without using multiple applications or exposing their information and location to a broad audience. Allstate?s goal for its mobile offerings is to deliver services and tools that consumers value.

?One of our core values is to prepare and protect consumers,? said Roger Tye, director of consumer engagement and ebusiness at Allstate, Northbrook, IL. ?With Tag In, we?re able to extend this promise by giving people a fast and easy way to stay connected, combining location-based features and SMS.

?We didn?t want to limit access to Tag In, so we made it free and available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry,? he said. ?This is the same approach we took with our Allstate Mobile customer service application.

?There are a number of target audiences, but one of the primary audiences is families?busy family members are often searching for ways to keep tabs on one another and quickly communicate their whereabouts, often in the name of safety.?

Allstate Corp.?s Allstate Insurance Co. claims to be the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, with more than 17 million customer households.

Social mobile app
People want to stay connected, but they are also concerned about protecting their privacy.

Designed with families in mind, Tag In combines social networking, location features and user control of who sees personal information.

The application is quicker than texting and more private than Facebook or Foursquare, per Allstate.

Tag In offers the following features:

? A series of quick messages that can be sent over and over again

? GPS functionality letting users send their current location to family, friends and colleagues at the touch of a few buttons, even when they do not know exactly where they are

? Users can receive messages without opening the application?Tag In alerts pop up directly on a mobile home screen as a text message would

? Users can send the same message to multiple people with "My Groups" and create a set of contacts and connect with them all in four touches

? Contacts need not have a smartphone or the application to receive Tag In messages

Tag In is compatible with iPhone devices using the iOS4 operating system and newer, Android devices using the 2.0.1 operating system and newer, and most BlackBerry devices using the 4.5 operating system and newer.

Allstate is promoting the launch of the application using social media?Facebook and Twitter?and via its Web site at http://www.Allstate.com/mobile.

?We will promote the app to our own customers in a variety of channels and we know our agents are excited to spread the word as well,? Mr. Tye said. ?Based on what we?ve heard during testing and from early comments, we expect those who download Tag In to tell family and friends.

?We?ll definitely use our own existing mobile channels, the Allstate Mobile app and m.allstate.com, to promote the Tag In app as well,? he said.

Final Take
Dan Butcher, associate editor, Mobile Marketer

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