Two articles, mobile advertising, expert opinion, and a little rant

First, I read this article a few days back. I thought of coming up with a rebuttal immediately, but then I was too tired to do that. Thankfully, a few days later, Allen Wastler has come up with another article which makes a little sense.

Now, if you notice, in the first article, he had assumed that mobile phone ads, especially location based advertising, will be annoying for everyone. He mentioned that there is an opt-in facility available for mobile advertising – meaning you get ads only if you want to. But immediately he went on to add that he was not sure whether it would stay that way or people would be compelled to get ads on their mobile phone, even against their choice. Now – THAT – got my goat and other domesticated animals.

In this latest article, he has expressed his surprise for the fact that he didn’t get as many voices against mobile advertising as he expected. While a few of them have expressed their opinion against mobile advertising, an equal number of them have also said that they don’t mind getting ads if they were to get something in return – like subsidized mobile bill or some kind of value added service from the carriers.

This is precisely what I’ve been trying to tell people around the world ever since I started this blog. I’ll say it once again. Repeat it with me.

1. There is an opt-in facility available as far as mobile advertising is concerned. In other words, you get ads on your mobile phone only when you want to.

2. You get lots in return for getting advertisements on your mobile phone. Ever heard of Sugar Mama? Virgin gives free talk time to people who get ads on their mobile phone. Blyk offers free talk time and free text messages for people who get mobile ads. Talkster allows you to make international calls free of cost, thanks to ads. The list is just endless.

3. If you feel that you can manage your mobile bill all by yourself and don’t need any sort of freebies from the advertiser or the carrier, fair enough. You just don’t have to get ads on your mobile phone. It’s as simple. Nobody is pointing a gun at your head. So, stop screaming.

When I thought of starting a Rant section in this blog, I was wondering what to write in this section. But there are people who help me keep this section alive. Thanks guys.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, Rant.

2 comments.

Mobile advertising industry’s growth rate - Real or hype?

When a leading research firm like Gartner says that mobile advertising industry it going to be huge, we all take notice; don’t we? Especially, when it says the industry is going to rake in over $11 billion in revenues by 2011, it’s bound to make news. Which is exactly what has happened.

Brian White in his analysis has questioned the logic behind the prediction of Gartner and has asked a few questions which are thought-provoking. First of all, no one can deny that mobile advertising and marketing has become one of the most noted industries today and has a big future. As of now, the industry is worth well over $1 billion. But the question that is raised in the article is that on what basis the research firm has predicted that the revenue will increase tenfold in just about four years. Good question; I should say. Also, he has raised a point about mobile browsing being a complex experience for everyone but people who use smartphones like Blackberry, iPhone, and the like. So, he finally finishes by saying that while mobile advertising will reach those numbers, it will not happen that soon.

Well; I don’t know on what basis Gartner predicted those numbers and I’m certainly not strong in math; so let me not go there. Speaking of the complexities in mobile browsing, I do have a point to make. While I accept that mobile browsing could be a little difficult for people with low-end mobile phones, it’s a breeze for someone who uses Apple iPhone, Smartphone, Blackberry, and the like. So, let’s take that elite league out of the equation. Coming to the average Joe who uses low end phone, I have two points to make.

First of all, a lot of carriers are working on making mobile browsing simpler for their users with MySpace Mobile and Fox Mobile being the best examples. Sprint has partnered with both MySpace and Fox to make mobile browsing simpler than ever for its customers. You can simply check out the mobile sites of MySpace and Fox with just a click. That’s right – you don’t have to access the menu, open the browser, type the URL, and wait for the site to open. You can simply access the site with just a click. How about that for a simple mobile browsing experience? If this clicks big time with the customers, I don’t see any reason why other carriers would not want to go the same way.

Second of all, you gotta remember one thing – SMS or text messaging is said to be the most preferred form of advertising among all. It doesn’t require an iPhone to receive text messages; right? I, for one, get text messages from my carrier all the time. Most of them are ads carrying information about their latest tariff plans, latest schemes, offers, and so on. While I do have the freedom to opt out of their messaging list, I don’t want to. Simply because, I might find something useful in those messages and make use of it. After all, I don’t get charged for incoming messages and I’m given a toll free number which I can call in case I need to respond to any of those ads. So, I get about a couple of messages everyday and I take whatever I want and delete the rest – as simple as that. If you’re provided with the same option, I’m sure many of you would think twice before saying no to the advertisers.

So, I believe mobile advertising industry would grow at the rate which the experts think it would grow at. What say you?

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

4 comments.