FUTURISTIC GROOVES

At the moment, most mobile advertising takes the form of text messages. But Telecoms firms are beginning to deliver ads to handsets alongside video clips, web pages, and music and game downloads, through mobiles that are nifty enough to permit such things.

Industry experts are expecting mobile advertising to be the next big thing. Basically based on the premises that there are currently 2.5 billion mobile phones around the world already. Potentially it can reach a much bigger audience than the planet’s billion or so personal computers. The number of mobile phones in use is also growing much faster than the number of computers, especially in poorer countries. Better yet, most people carry their mobile with them everywhere-something that cannot be said of television or computers.

One thing is sure, before it will hit the jackpot, current marketing strategies and business models need to be re-evaluated. Mobile operators, either established players and greenfield start-ups started to experiment already:

Blyk, offers subscribers 217 free text messages and 43 free minutes of voice calls per month as long as they agree to receive six advertisements by text message every day.

America’s Virgin Mobile, offers subscribers the choice between receiving an ad via text message or viewing a 45-second advertisement when browsing the internet in exchange for one free minute of talk time.

Vodafone UK offers subscribers the option of downloading footage from “Big Brother”, a reality-TV show, in exchange for viewing a promotional video clip.

Mobile phones (equipped with satellite-positioning technology) could be used to alert people to the charms of stores or restaurants they are walking or driving past

A subscriber typing in “pizza” for instance, could receive ads for nearby pizza parlours along with his generic search results. Such a customer, mobile operators hope, is likely to be more grateful than annoyed by the intrusion.

Growing opportunities in mobile technology and advertising is neither neglected by Google. Inner business circles expect Google to enter the mobile phone business soon. When it does, they will likely try to rewrite the rules of the game.