Yet another interesting report on mobile advertising

Media analyst Screen Digest recently released a report on mobile advertising which brings out some interesting points.

The report emphasizes that mobile advertising is still in its nascent stage and will grow rapidly in the next few years. However, this is something we’ve all been told about mobile advertising for quite some time now. So, my focus is on two points which I thought stood out from the rest.

Mobile TV will be the major revenue generator as far as mobile ads are concerned. However, it needs to have its own set of metrics in order to be considered an important advertising medium by advertisers. While mobile TV is touted as the next big thing in mobile advertising by many, people need solid data to assess how effective the ads have been and to calculate the ROI. This, I think, is a valid observation.

By 2012, ad-funded mobile games will become hugely popular and over 60 million of such games will be downloaded per year. That is a huge number and should give a lot of hope to mobile advertisers. In my opinion, ad funded mobile games are a great way to reach users without actually ramming ads down their throat. We’ve already seen some examples like product placement in mobile games which have been quite successful in sending a subtle message to viewers through strategically placed ads within the mobile game. However, the report also says that such mobile games will not be the major source of revenue. Even then, I think mobile based games and other such content are a great way to interact with customers which can popularize the brand well.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones.

0 comments.

Will Hollywood go mobile?

While the world is going gaga over cellphone advertising and marketing and the experts are predicting a helluva competition for the tiny little space of the cell phone, a certain industry which can exploit the world of cell phone advertising and marketing better than anyone else is yet to wake up.

No points for guessing it - the answer is Hollywood. It really surprises me how Hollywood has still not stepped into the world of cellphone marketing. Hollywood is, without a doubt, the most sophisticated film industry in the world and we all know how well they market their movies not just in the U.S.A., but all over the world. In fact, the reason behind the unbelievable craze for Hollywood movies all over the world is primarily good marketing, content comes only next. With marketing playing such a big role in Hollywood and a lot of corporate players entering the market, it’s only normal to assume that they would have tried out the hottest trend of ‘em all – cellphone advertising and marketing. But surprisingly, that’s not the answer. Barring 20th Century Fox, no other major film company has tried out cellphone marketing on a large scale yet.

It’s not that the idea has never been tested. 20th Century Fox tried its hands on cellphone marketing with Borat and The Simpsons Movie and released short video clips, wallpapers, and ringtones and had a good response. In fact, you’ll be surprised to know that Hollywood is quite late to catch up with international players when it comes to cellphone advertising. Or, make that very late.

India, as many of you might know, is the fastest growing mobile phone market today and it is also one of the biggest markets in terms of volume. What you don’t know is that it is also one of the hottest markets for cellphone advertising and marketing. Bollywood, as Indian film industry is popularly referred to, is certainly the pioneer in cellphone advertising and marketing. Over the past couple years, Indian film makers have promoted their movies through the cellphone and have succeeded big time. In fact, the film makers of Om Shanti Om and Saawariya, two of the biggest films in India this year, had tie ups with Nokia and Sony Ericsson respectively and promoted their movies unbelievably well. In fact, mobile marketing companies in India have also gone one step further and have introduced games based on Indian film stars, which has also got tremendous response from cellphone users.

If Bollywood, with a limited global presence can be so successful with cellphone advertising and marketing, what makes Hollywood think twice to take the plunge? Wake up guys – the people are ready. It’s you guys who need to kick yourselves for not waking up in time.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

0 comments.