Last week we talked about the National Restaurant Association's new partnership with Fishbowl to deliver mobile coupons to hungry patrons. Among all the hype surrounding mobile, this is truly the "next big thing".

Mobile Marketer featured an article last week, here is an excerpt:

Some form of mobile coupon has been around for most of the decade - at least since SMS became widely available.

But now, at the end of 2008, as consumers want to save a buck or 10, and marketers and retailers are seeking high-impact, low-cost ways of reaching value-seeking consumers, mobile coupons  have finally found their time.  

The convenience of redemption, immediacy of value and efficacy in driving both revenue and feedback provided by mobile coupons are driving that trend; as more businesses embrace the mobile medium as a legitimate marketing portal, the more mCoupons will proliferate among retailers.

To prove this argument, a study by Juniper Research estimated that by 2011, retailers worldwide would be sending out nearly 3 billion coupons to mobile phones.

An ambitious text messaging campaign is expected to reach a million South Africans daily with information about HIV/AIDS counseling services and testing centers throughout the country.

The effort, called Project Masiluleke—which means "hope" and "warm counsel" in the South Africa's major language, Zulu—"is one of the largest ever uses of mobile phones for health info," according to Andrew Zolli, executive director of Pop!Tech, which helped coordinate and fund the project.

One message reads: "HIV + & being mistreated by your family of friends? For confidential counseling call AIDS Helpline on 0800012322."

The use of text messaging to spread this information isn't necessarily new—similar campaigns have launched in recent years. "But this campaign is the most ambitious we are aware of," said Robert Noble of AVERT, an U.K.-based AIDS charity that works in South Africa.

Read on for more information on this "mobile" cause.