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'Cash Mob' To Hit Downtown Rochester

ROCHESTER -- Independence Innovations in Rochester will be hosting a Cash Mob for downtown businesses to benefit the local merchants, bargain savvy shoppers and the overall community during the Main Street Makeover, Rochester Road construction activity.

A Cash Mob is a group of motivated buyers who assemble at local businesses and all buy from that downtown business district area. The purpose of the Rochester Cash Mob is to provide extreme coupon bargains for shoppers and a focused contribution of cash stimulus support through purchases of goods and services within the Principal Shopping District of downtown Rochester.

The Cash Mob will be held on Thursday, June 21, from 2 to 7:30 p.m. It is open to anyone wishing to participate. The shoppers will opt into a text message campaign to receive extreme coupons from each participating store every 30 minutes. Mobbers will be guided by the text messaging campaign to move from store-to-store through downtown as well as be encouraged to spend at least $50 each. Local merchants participating in the event program will pay a minimal fee of $50 for promotion, advertising, digital media messaging and to offer extreme coupons and special promotions to further attract and stimulate the mob to buy.

Independence Innovations, a local business strategy and development firm specializing in digital media, is partnering with PocketCents and TextRipple, Michigan-based digital media companies, in forming the project leadership group launching the Rochester Cash Mob. By engaging digital media coupons, mobile apps and a well orchestrated event plan to present each retailer's coupon, our companies will attract a highly energized cash mob group seeking bargains with a treasure hunt type of adventure experience.

"We believe that this is one of the very first cash mobs anywhere in the country to use a shopper's mobile or smart phone for text message advertising, special bargains and cost saving coupons that move the mob from store-to-store," said David Spencer, managing director of Independence Innovations. "This is a unique and convenient way for mob shoppers to search for special promotions with text messages promoting several merchants in the Rochester Principal Shopping District in one afternoon."

Independence Innovations also announced general sponsorship support from The Cupcake Station, the OU Branch of the MSU Federal Credit Union and Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber for the Rochester Cash Mob. In order to keep the promotion, digital media and event program management costs to a minimum for the participating downtown merchants, the Rochester Cash Mob is grateful to these companies for their sponsor contributions to help underwrite some of the expenses for this shopping event.

There will be an after glow party for mob shoppers, merchants and area community leaders that day starting at 7:30 p.m. at Rochester Mills Beer Co. at 400 Water Street, just East of Rochester Road and South of University Drive. The Rochester Cash Mob will hold a door prize drawing for the shoppers who submit proof of receipts that they spent $50 or more during the cash mob event.

To become a part of the mob, visit this Facebook link or text RochCashMob to 411669.

Details about the road construction and the Main Street Makeover detour directions and parking can be found at this link.

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