Conde Nast?s Self magazine launched its SMS-based diet program last year and is seeing more than 80 percent of users say the initiative is helping them stay on track with their diet and fitness regimen.

The Diet Tapper program provides users with tools and tips to achieve health and dieting goals. Self is using 4Info?s SMS publishing platform to send readers five timely messages daily.

?Self Magazine readers are tech-savvy, on-the-go women,? said Kirsten McMullen, director of marketing at 4Info, New York.

?Condé Nast wanted to provide them with a friendly set of interactive tools to help their readers reach health and dieting goals, no matter where they were,? she said. ?The obvious solution was to go mobile, and SMS provided a particularly accessible mobile channel. 

?For smartphone users, richer content was available at a click, and for feature phone users, all content was available via PC.?

Staying on track
Via the Diet Tapper SMS program, users get messages directly from Self editors and experts every three to four hours, informing them of what to eat, drink and do to lose weight.

Additionally, by opting in, users receive access to an email newsletter and exclusive online content.

Currently, the program has nearly 1,000 subscribers so far and close to 700 Twitter followers.

More than 80 percent of users polled said that the Tapper Diet program is keeping them on track towards their fitness goals.

In addition, more than 78 percent said the program reminds them that they are taking an extra step towards taking care of their well-being.

Mobile promotion
The program was promoted in Self magazine and on self.com.

By using SMS, Self is able to continue a dialogue with its users.

?The program appealed to readers due to the actionable alerts, the high value content of the program, and the fun and easy nature of text messaging,? Ms. McMullen said. 

?Another reason is that the program works on all cell phones, making this program accessible to a wide audience of mobile users,? she said.

?The program was popular because Self magazine?s Diet Tapper provides real-time advice in a non-intrusive manner, creating value through the device you always have with you, your phone.?

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York