RIM Looking to Acquire a Mobile Advertising Network?

The latest news in the mobile world is that Research In Motion, the famed Blackberry maker, is looking to buy a mobile advertising network.

RIM firmly believes that the only way to take on its arch rivals Apple and Google is to buy a mobile ad network which is big enough to challenge the networks of its rivals. It is said the company has been negotiating with Millennial Media, a Baltimore based advertising network. The talks, however, were not a success as the ad network expected a huge sum – somewhere in the range of $400-500 million.

RIM, understandably, is concerned about paying such a huge price as it believes that it is too expensive a price to pay to acquire the network. If you remember, Apple paid close to $300 million to acquire Quattro and Google paid an astronomical $750 million to acquire AdMob.

Millennial Media, according to sources, is not very interested in the deal as it believes that it has a bright future as an independent company. Also, it believes that an acquisition by RIM would limit its ability to serve targeted ads to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod platforms, which would eventually affect its relationship with Apple. So, it is not willing to give the nod unless it gets the right price.

Since the talks with Millennial Media were less than satisfactory, RIM is also believed to be looking for other mobile advertising networks like Greystripe and JumpTap.

The reason why RIM is so desperate to acquire a mobile ad network is not hard to understand. Its share in the global smartphone market slumped from 19.1 percent to 17.8 percent recently and most of its latest launches like Blackberry Storm, Storm2, and Blackberry Torch have not been a great success. So, to catch up with the rapid growth of Google Android and Apple OS, it believes it has to have its own mobile advertising network. While both Millennial Media and Research In Motion have declined to comment publicly on the developments, it is said that we could expect some big news, particularly from the RIM camp, in the near future.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, RIM.

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US Mobile Display Ad Spending Likely to Exceed $1 Billion in 2015

ABI Research’s recent report says that mobile advertising spending on display ads in the United States is likely to quadruple in the next few years. The amount spent on mobile display ads, which stands at just over $300 million now, is expected to exceed $1.2 billion in 2015.

Neil Strother of ABI Research says that a survey conducted by the firm in February revealed that 28% of mobile users use the mobile internet facility regularly. He says that the percentage of mobile internet users has increased phenomenally in the last 14 months, which is a great sign for the mobile advertising market.

The report, based on the inputs from a number of mobile marketers, technology vendors, mobile network operators, and advertising agency executives, says that there has been a steady increase in the amount allocated for mobile ad campaigns by companies. Industry insiders say that they have been seeing year-over-year increases of 25%-30%, which is unprecedented when you consider the fact that the industry is still in its infant stage.

Marketers use different types of ads like mobile display ads, text message ads, in-app ads, search ads, and video ads to reach their target audience. They rely on simple text message ads to reach people with low end phones that lack advanced features like mobile TV, internet, audio, and video. On the other hand, they use a variety of rich, multimedia ads to reach people with smartphones that come loaded with advanced features. Statistics show that smartphone penetration in the US is just about 20% now. As this number increases, we can expect a huge surge in the number of mobile ads served across the country.

One of the important signs that indicate a bright future for the industry is the entry of big players like Apple and Google. So far, the industry has been dominated by independent ad networks like Millennial Media, Jumptap, and Greystripe. Google’s acquisition of AdMob and Apple’s acquisition of Quattro Wireless, however, has changed the scenario completely. It shows that the idea of using the mobile phone as an advertising medium is slowly getting mainstream acceptance, which is great news for anyone is related to the mobile advertising industry.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

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Greystripe and Simyo to offer free, ad supported mobile games

Greystripe is one company which sure knows the pulse of its customers. Ad supported mobile games are considered the next big thing and Greystripe is sure cashing in on that. First, it was the much-talked-about partnership with Myxer and now here comes another partnership with the German mobile operator, Simyo.

According to this deal, Greystripe will create a games portal which will have more than 800 free mobile games. Mobile users will be able to download them without paying a penny, as all the games are ad supported. Surprisingly, these games are not exclusively available for Simyo subscribers alone. Any mobile user from any mobile network can download these games. The reason is pretty simple.

Both Simyo and Greystripe will split the revenue generated from the targeted ads in those mobile games. So, it doesn’t matter who downloads the game – whether a Simyo subscriber or someone else – as long as the revenue comes in.

Also, one of the highlights of this mobile games portal is that it supports over 1400 handsets, which is a very good thing for mobile users. No matter what handset you have, you’ll be able to download these games. So, this will be pretty popular with users.

Btw, have you guys tried out any of these ad supported mobile games? What are your favorites?

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Mobile Games.

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Myxer launches Mobile Music Toolkit

Myxer has been on a roll recently. First, it was the partnership with Greystripe and now it is the launch of Myxer Mobile Music Toolkit. This toolkit from Myxer is meant for Indie bands and labels. Indie bands can use this toolkit to promote and share their content with Myxer’s community which is mostly comprises teenagers and college goers – the ideal audience for music bands.

The Mobile Music Toolkit from Myxer has packed a lot of features like MyxerTags, MyxerCodes, FanLists, Pick of the Day, and Sell Mobile Content – all of which will help music bands promote their albums, share their content, and connect to their audience better than ever.

Myxer, for long, has been providing free ringtones, free pictures, free videos, and even free mobile games. So, the launch of this toolkit can only be considered the next step in providing the users with more value. Myxer has a phenomenal record as far as distributing and advertising mobile content is concerned and this is a great chance for music bands to make use of Myxer’s growing audience.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones.

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Myxer and Greystripe join hands to provide high quality mobile games - absolutely free

Myxer Inc., market leader in ad-supported mobile content, recently joined hands with Greystripe, one of the largest distributors of ad-supported mobile applications and mobile games, to provide their users with free, high-quality mobile games.

Myxer Inc. offers free ringtones, pictures, videos, and more for its huge community which keeps growing by the day and now it has added ad-supported mobile games to the list. Greystripe has a huge catalog of over 800 high quality mobile games and thanks to its partnership with Myxer, you will be able to download and use these mobile games absolutely free of cost.

Greystripe’s ADWRAP Catalog Platform will help Myxer distribute the mobile games to its community of users. Myk Willis, Founder and CEO of Myxer, says this partnership will take both Myxer and Greystripe to the next level as far as mobile users community is concerned. He says that it is a natural progression for both the companies involved and it will benefit both of them in a significant manner.

In my opinion, Myxer and Greystripe are companies that have made use of mobile advertising to the maximum. Giving free mobile applications and free mobile games to millions of people is by no means a small task and mobile advertising has made it possible. This is a very healthy sign for the industry as we can soon see more companies taking a leaf out of Myxer’s book and follow suit.

Ironically, we still have carriers that charge their customers for downloading ringtones and videos. Hopefully, companies like Myxer will change all that. After all, why would anyone want to pay for mobile ringtones, images, videos, and games, when you can get ‘em all for free?

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Mobile Games.

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