Across all six Castle Race Series events in 2025, 28,068 messages were sent in total, with 15,664 delivered via RCS. Of these, 15,538 were successfully delivered (99.2% delivery rate). While 8,316 participants had read receipts enabled, the actual engagement was far higher: 13,283 participants (84.7%) clicked on call-to-action buttons, providing definitive proof they read and acted on messages.

This engagement rate represents a significant increase from 2024’s 62.4% and tells a more complete story than read receipts alone. Because RCS respects user privacy settings by allowing participants to disable read receipts, interaction metrics like button clicks provide the most accurate measure of campaign effectiveness.

Compared to 2024, this represents a clear shift: participants are increasingly responding to interactive, rich messaging rather than traditional SMS. Where 2024 relied on just under 3,000 RCS messages, 2025 delivered over 15,600. The increase was largely due to Apple enabling RCS for business on iOS 18 in late September 2024. This expanded the addressable audience significantly, allowing Castle Race Series to reach both Android and iOS participants with rich, interactive messaging. Participants actively used RCS to check race updates, provide feedback, and register for upcoming events. The interactive features – including tappable buttons, surveys, and location-based updates transformed one-way notifications into two-way conversations. And despite the expanded volume and diverse device ecosystem, delivery success remained consistently high.

Regional Highlights: France Leads the Way in Adoption

France stood out as the top-performing market, driving the highest engagement and reply rates across the campaign. This success, particularly at the Château de Chantilly event, aligns with broader market trends: over 70% of smartphones, across both Android and iOS devices, in France were capable of receiving RCS messages by mid-2025. This positions France as a key market for both RCS for Business reach and engagement.

Transforming Communication into Engagement

Beyond the numbers, the campaign shows how RCS for Business transforms routine notifications into meaningful interactions. Through rich media, tappable buttons, quick surveys, and location-based updates, participants enjoyed a seamless, two-way journey that kept them informed and engaged with the Castle Races Series. The 2025 results reinforce RCS for Business as a scalable, strategic communication channel that delivers measurable outcomes.

Key Takeaways

In short, the 2025 Castle Race Series RCS campaign not only built on the success of 2024 but also highlighted the channel’s capacity for growth and impact. With a total of 28,068 messages sent and an 85% engagement rate, the campaign confirms that RCS for Business is more than an upgrade to SMS, it is a tool for meaningful, measurable connections with participants across multiple markets.

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