Eclipso creates virtual reality experiences that take visitors to the heart of historical and cultural stories, with the aim of making history and culture more vivid and accessible. The network now operates in several European cities, including Paris, London and Barcelona, and as far afield as New York, and has welcomed more than two million visitors.
The challenge: reaching audiences beyond email
Bringing a visitor back after a first experience is a challenge for many cultural venues. The hard part is getting their attention: email remains an essential channel, but it competes with dozens of other messages every day. An SMS, on the other hand, is usually read within minutes of arriving.
For this test, Eclipso chose its Spanish market and a straightforward approach.
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The audience: visitors who had already bought an experience in Barcelona or Seville, and whose phone number was centralised in Arenametrix. That's 8,305 people who already knew Eclipso.
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The message: an exclusive 30% discount on the Coliseo and Titanic experiences, with a promo code and a direct link to the ticket office.
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The send: from Arenametrix, in the same tool as the email campaigns. No development work, no lists to export.
"Last few days to get 30% off Coliseo and Titanic with the code"
The results
SMS: a channel in its own right in the visitor relationship
SMS doesn't replace email: it complements it. Email gives people time to explore a programme, compare options and picture themselves there. An SMS lands straight on their phone and gets read within the minute. It's made for messages that call for quick action: a limited-time offer, an invitation to come back, information not to be missed.
But it has to be used in the right place. Because it's more direct, SMS calls for a lighter touch than email. Eclipso's case shows how: the message only went to visitors who had already had an experience, with an offer that was clear and could be read in seconds. A well-targeted SMS feels like a thoughtful gesture. Sent to everyone, it quickly becomes an intrusion.
With this first campaign, Eclipso confirmed a hunch: SMS has a real place in its relationship with visitors, alongside email. The network now plans to roll it out across its other European sites and make it a regular way of giving its audiences a good reason to come back.
Arenametrix gives Eclipso the infrastructure to do this: centralised visitor data, segmentation based on purchase history, and email and SMS campaigns sent from a single tool. Eclipso chooses the moments, audiences and messages that bring its visitor relationship to life.