“Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so text me?”

“Maybe.”

British rapper Jaykae has turned to billboard advertising in his home city of Birmingham to recruit and reward his superfans.

On it he has posted a mobile phone number alongside the message “TEXT ME”. He also posted a video on his YouTube channel showing footage of the billboard in situ along with the explanation: “Text or call me to start getting exclusive news & updates before anyone else.”

We texted the number and got a message back with a link to a SuperPhone sign-up page where you had to give your name, location, gender and age as well as your Twitter and Instagram handles.

We also called the number. “Yo, it’s Jaykae,” ran the pre-recorded message. “What you saying, people? Nice one for calling me. Save this number. I’ve got some exclusive news coming your way very soon. Respect.”

According to his press team, those getting in touch will be sent all manner of updates in the coming weeks and months.

“Personal voicemail messages from Jaykae will tease audio from his upcoming singles and album, and the fans will also have the opportunity to hear voicemails from artists featured on the project, exclusive images (artwork and track list reveals) and early video links,” they explained.

As some of the commentators on his YouTube video point out, it is nothing new. But that does not automatically make it less interesting. We have been covering SuperPhone (and direct mobile marketing) for many years, but this Jaykae campaign is a reminder of just how rare it is to place it front and centre.

Of course, phone data is often gathered in pre-order and D2C campaigns, but email marketing still feels like the default way to contact fans. Maybe there is a sense that text-based marketing is too invasive (and something that, post-GDRP, has to be handled incredibly carefully), but this Jaykae billboard is an accidental reminder of just how hesitant many acts still are to use it as a priority in their campaigns.