January 31, 2007
Grabbing Older Consumers via Cellphone
The WSJ reports that marketers trying to reach older people are dipping their toes in the mobile marketing waters.
"The latest to take the plunge is Hearst's Redbook magazine, whose average reader is a woman in her mid-30s to mid-40s. In coming weeks, Redbook is launching a cellphone sweepstakes game. Redbook readers can bid on a year's worth of movie tickets by sending text messages from their cellphones. The bidder with the lowest offer unmatched by anyone else wins.
Redbook hopes the sweepstakes games will boost its profile with its readers -- and provide a new source of ad revenue, through the sale of sponsorships for the sweepstakes.
The magazine's venture highlights how a growing number of marketers and media outlets are experimenting with mobile media.
Still in its early stage of development in the U.S., cellphone advertising has been held back by advertiser concerns about alienating consumers. More than three-quarters of consumers are turned off by the idea of ads on their phones, and only 3% said they trust text ads, according to a recent Forrester Research survey."
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