Our friends at Mobile Marketer have the scoop:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, is taking its cost-savings message to another interactive channel with the launch of its Walmart Holiday Mobile Alerts program.

The mobile effort, introduced without fanfare, targets shoppers with the promise to deliver them early news of bargains in-store or online at Walmart. It is also an opportune attempt by Walmart to build a database of mobile consumers for marketing offers and deals.

“It’s your opportunity (to save money) calling,” says the callout on the Walmart Holiday Mobile Alerts page on http://www.walmart.com. “Now there’s a new tool for saving money – your mobile phone,” the copy reads. “Sign up for Walmart Holiday Mobile Alerts and you can be among the first to hear about special savings.”

Read more.

Michael Steele has embarked on an assertive campaign for the RNC chair, and he’s already giving a taste of what he has in mind for new leadership.  At his new website, Steele offers a way for people to text-message their ideas to the RNC.

Read more here.

It is promising to see mobile donations covered more and more in the news. Below is the latest from the Washington Times.

In a 2008 Super Bowl ad, NFL golden boy Tom Brady asked nearly 100 million viewers to text "FIT" to donate $5 to the United Way. About 25,000 people responded, raising $10,000.

Now imagine if President-elect Barack Obama had been able to ask the 100,000 people who showed up at his rally in St. Louis in October to give $5 or $10 with a simple text. It's another technology political campaigns are eager to tap into as a new way to raise money.

Mobile giving is currently limited to nonpartisan, charitable organizations, such as the United Way, and politicians must clear a few technical and regulatory obstacles. But that could happen before the next presidential election.