J. C. Penney Company Inc. launched its "Schooled in Style: Smart Looks for Less," multichannel campaign for the 2009 back-to-school season. Guess which marketing channels are being used.

The campaign combines mobile, digital, social and traditional media such as events. The mobile aspect lets teens sign-up to receive text messages on their mobile phones about back-to-school sales and special offers at JCPenney.

"We want to create a campaign with a 360 approach targeting teens where they are," said Quinton Crenshaw, Plano, TX-based spokesman for JCPenney.

"So that's why we are on Facebook and on television," he said. "Mobile is important because they are all texting."

JCPenney is one of America's largest retailers, operating 1,101 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

Teenagers can sign up for the mobile alerts at http://www.jcp.com/teen. The site is full of back-to-school content and lets teens connect with each other, create their own looks and explore JCPenney's style offerings through a digital runway experience.

JCPenney will build a database of names to continue to engage with beyond the back-to-school season.

The site is also optimized for smartphones such as BlackBerry and iPhone devices.

According to a Harris Interactive study, second to clothing, teens say a mobile phone tells the most about a person's social status or popularity, outranking jewelry, watches and shoes.

The study also found that mobile phones are fast becoming a social necessity among teens. In fact, a majority (57 percent) view their handsets as the key to their social life.

From texting to talking and logging on to social networking sites, teens carry cell phones to have access to friends, family and current events.

JCPenney will host exclusive concerts with live performances by the band Hockey taking place during the month of August in Los Angeles, Dallas and New York.

JCPenney is giving teens an opportunity to win tickets through an online scavenger hunt accessible through facebook.com/jcpteen and via JCPenney's mobile WAP site at http://jcp.mobi, as well as through local market radio promotions.

Each event, which is also sponsored by Levi's, will feature interactive games where teens can win prizes, including a variety of JCPenney merchandise.

JCPenney is also reaching the demographic via cinema and TV spot "Lunchroom Runway." It features students turning their high school cafeteria into a high-energy fashion show.

Students showcase the latest looks and styles from JCPenney.

JCPenney will have TV spots on Univision targeting Hispanic teens.

The campaign was created with agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi New York, T3 and Razorfish, the "Schooled in Style."

JCPenney has used mobile in the past. For example the company added mobile to its holiday marketing mix as well (see story).

"We have a joke around here about how if two teens are sitting right next to each other, they'd probably not talk to one another," Mr. Crenshaw said. "They'd probably be texting back and forth.

"Mobile isn't anything new for us," he said. "We use it in different ways."