TeenNick, the teen-centric cable channel offshoot of Nickelodeon, has launched an SMS sweepstakes in conjunction with its new HALO Awards show.

In support of the Helping And Leading Others (HALO) awards, TeenNick is running the Do Good in Your 'Hood SMS sweepstakes with Nick Cannon. Consumers between the ages of 13-24 can text the keyword HALO to short code 91757 to enter for a chance to have Nick Cannon come to his or her hometown to lead a community service opportunity.

?TeenNick is using a mobile marketing program to allow users to interact with the content while giving them accessibility to info about the show, the honorees and the celebrities,? said Matt Mahoney, senior producer at Nickelodeon Wireless, New York. ?Our strategy on mobile is to provide another platform for our audience to interact with our content.?

Nickelodeon has a TeenNick mobile club that offers subscribers additional content such as show updates, polls and free content.  

TeenNick, formerly The N, is a 24-hour television network for and about teens. Nick Cannon, known for his appearances on ?America?s Got Talent,? is the chairman of TeenNick. He is married to singer Mariah Carey.

Helping out goes mobile
The HALO Awards will feature celebrities giving awards out to teens in support of their philanthropic causes. The show premieres Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. on TeenNick, followed by an encore presentation at 9 p.m. on Nick at Nite.

The SMS sweepstakes is open from Dec. 11 until Jan. 10.

Mr. Mahoney said that mobile is a key platform for the TeenNick audience and extending content with text sweepstakes, mobile Web, mobile video, iPhone services, text-based mobile clubs, on-air text polls and other mobile content helps the network reach audiences wherever they are.

TeenNick is promoting the sweepstakes by airing 30-second commercials on the network and will have ads on its Web site.

Consumers who text-in to enter the contest will not be entered into a database for future marketing. However, they are given the opportunity to opt-in to the TeenNick mobile club.

Ray Dooley, senior director of marketing at TeenNick, New York, said that one of the goals of the awards show is to localize HALO for its audience and to inspire and connect teens to service opportunities via TV, online and mobile.

The contest has Mr. Cannon arriving in a teen's town to lead a service opportunity. Mr. Dooley said that the contest brings the message of the show to life for TeenNick?s audience and the community.

?The TeenNick demographic sees their mobile device among their basic communication and information devices,? said Mr. Dooley. ?They are among the biggest consumers of mobile content.

?Extending into this space is natural, and adding a mobile component to HALO and our community service initiatives is a compelling way to invite our audience to participate in the awards,? he said.