Text messaging - besides its ubiquitous personal use - has become the staple of campaigns and public service announcements. Now it's evolving beyond that to offer value-add services and products, such as gifts, as these recent examples show.

Giiv is a mobile gifting service that delivers gifts in real time. Participating retailers include Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, TOMS Shoes and Fandango. The concept is fairly simple, according to Mashable. "You find a gift that you want to give a friend or loved one, and then you enter in his or her mobile number and a note. Giiv.com texts them a URL and a giiv code to redeem his or her gift, either with a retailer or online."

American Greetings has a new service that sends a video card chosen from its website directly to handsets of nearly all major mobile carriers, according to the New York Times. It is offering this through a partnership with Mogreet.

Then there is Analog Analytics, which has just introduced an interactive platform that creates mobile and test-message coupons and gift certificates. Also available for online, several publishers have inked deals with the company, including Village Voice and MediaNews, writes Editor and Publisher.

"The software includes services that help with analytics and reporting, self-serve coupon and gift certificates content management, and the ability to display coupons and gift certificates on a portal or third-party ad network," E&P says.