December 8, 2004
Ads are coming to your mobile
As much as it pains most people to hear it, mobile content will soon include advertisments. This may make the content cheaper, or it may make the telcos richer - or both, reports James Pearce for MocoNews.
In this article for ZDNet, Pearce details some of the latest developments in bringing ads to your mobile, and why you might welcome them. An important article for anyone following cell phone trends. Some excerpts:
"As evidence of the increase in the mobile content market, and therefore the desirability for advertisers, UK mobile internet portal Boltblue will use Accipiter's ad trafficking services to serve up to 20 million rich media ads. “The move is in intersting one in that is signifies an increasing maturity in the mobile media space, in the context of steadily increasing WAP page impressions.
[...] One system being looked at plans to take advantage of a new service known as 'video shortcuts', developed by MSTelecom. It allows 3G mobile users to dial a shortcode, opt for a video call and receive streamed video content to their mobiles. 3UK, the British version of Australia's first 3G mobile operator, has already launched the new service.
[...] Some ads can be very entertaining and people want to watch them for that reason - consider the existence of TV shows like "World's Best Ads". The ads could offer a payoff to the viewer, with special offers or content the person wants to see. The first advertisers are predicted to be music and television companies, who could offer previews of music videos or cult TV shows designed to promote their product.
[...] More subtle is the idea of 'contextual marketing'. Web-browser company Operahas created a Web browser that runs on BREW enabled phones. The benefit for carriers is that it offers services based on what the consumer is doing at the time. For example, if the user is checking the latest basketball scores the browser can offer a basketball game for the mobile, or perhaps a basketball-themed screensaver and ringtone. This will especially appeal to telcos which have avoided the "walled garden" approach, and allow their users to roam the World Wide Web.
[...] And there are plenty of opportunities for companies to take advantage of current technologies, opportunities which so far haven't shown up on the radar but are technically possible. For example, screensavers and backgrounds on mobile phones. The most popular screensavers currently tend to be based on movies and TV shows, and are effectively advertisements keeping the show in the consciousness of the consumer."
[...] Ringback tones also offer an advertising opportunity. Ringback tones can be purchased by mobile users to replace the normal ringtone people here when they call the phone.
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2004/12/006299.htm