KIRKLAND, Wash. — Rite Aid Corp. is reaching Hispanic consumers via messages sent to mobile phones.

The drug chain is one of a list of companies tapping the Hispanic Mobile Marketing Network launched last year by HipCricket, a Kirkland, Wash.-based mobile marketing provider. The network enables companies to send permission-based offers and advertisements to consumers’ mobile phones.

HipCricket said Rite Aid saw a notable increase in store traffic by providing coupon offers when consumers texted “MARCA” (“BRAND ”) to a specific shortcode. A coupon for $3 off a purchase of $15 or more produced a 7.6% click-through rate, and 2.5% of consumers clicked on an offer of a $25 gift card for transferring their prescriptions to Rite Aid, according to HipCricket.

Other companies using the Hispanic Mobile Marketing Network include HBO, Harley-Davidson, Arby’s and Cheetos.

HipCricket noted that the Hispanic market, which has buying power projected to exceed $1 trillion in 2010, is overweighted with mobile phones. And key indicators show that mobile — in particular, SMS text messages — is an effective medium for marketing to Hispanics. Citing mobile marketing data, HipCricket reported that 32% of Hispanic mobile subscribers are interested or highly interested in receiving offers, 87% of Hispanic households have multiple mobile phones, more than half regularly text and text messaging has risen nearly 60 percent year over year.

The Hispanic Mobile Marketing Network encompasses more than 70 radio and television stations and brand distribution partners. It reaches Hispanic Americans in more than 40 markets, including 14 of the top 15 Hispanic markets.

HipCricket offers a turnkey mobile solution that offers marketers reply-based SMS ads, click-to-call messages, click-through-to-mobile-Web messages, brand messages, and 40-character ad injections into existing content delivery.