Germany based mobile web portal offers free text message service

If you are one of those people who are still wondering if the whole concept of ‘offering free mobile content supported by ads’ is good or bad, here is some news for you. A German company has recently come up with an idea that is so good that even the harshest critic of mobile advertising will find it hard to argue against.

Mjoy.com, a Germany based mobile web portal, offers free SMS (text message) service for its registered users all around the world. The service is simple – as a registered user, you will be able to send text messages to any phone, any network, anywhere in the world – for free. How does it sound?

This is usually the point at which the question ‘how can they afford to do so?’ comes up. The answer to that question is something you are already familiar with, if you have been following this blog. It is mobile advertising.

This free service is supported by advertising banners in the portal. Mjoy has officially stated that these mobile ads will not be a hindrance for users as they will be placed in such a manner that they do not disturb the user experience by any means. On top of that, the company has also promised that the users will not be sent any sort of commercial text messages at any time in the future.

Even at the risk of making this blog post sound like a sponsored piece, I have to tell you something about the cool features of this service.

1. There are no character limits for the text messages that you send.

2. The text messages you send and receive will be stored in chat mode in your Mjoy inbox.

3. As a registered user, you can sync your mobile phone contacts with the Mjoy network if you want to.

4. You can also access a variety of mobile content like videos, widgets, pictures, sounds, and much more in Mjoy portal.

Already, we have seen a success story in Blyk, which has now become synonymous with ad supported mobile content. Is Mjoy another success story in the making? Only time will tell. What do you think?

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

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A mobile web portal to access the German stock exchange

Wallstreet:online, the largest finance community in Germany, has released its mobile web portal. Mobile users now will be able to follow the German stock exchange right from their mobile phone. Netbiscuits, a famous mobile internet platform provider, has helped bring Wallstreet:online to the mobile web space.

I think this is a brilliant move. The timing could not have been better, as Germany now is considered a huge market for mobile phones and mobile web in particular. Even Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently stated in an interview that almost every German has got a mobile phone. Also, stock market is something which is closely followed by millions every day. What better way to do it than from your mobile phone? It makes things easier, as you don’t have to carry a laptop or sit in front of the PC to follow the stock trading by the hour. This mobile website is also optimized for Apple iPhone, as there are quite a few iPhone users in Germany.

Categories: All things mobile phones, Mobile Web.

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Pepsi and MyClick launch digital campaign

Pepsi has launched a mobile marketing campaign in connection with the upcoming Beijing Olympics. Pepsi has joined hands with MyClick, a famous snap-and-click marketer, to launch this campaign which targets 12-24-year-olds.

In this campaign, customers are invited to upload their birth date, phone number, nickname, and their photo on any one of the six web portals available in China. Three lucky winners, who will be chosen at random, will have a chance to be featured on special edition Pepsi cans during the summer Olympics.

The winners of this contest will be chosen by fans who can vote for their favorites. They need to download MyClick application on the web portal in order to be able to access everything from voting to status updates.

Pepsi Cola is planning to promote this campaign called ‘Creative Challenge’ big time via TV advertising, internet advertising, MMS, text messaging, point-of-sale promotions in retail outlets, and mobile WAP sites. A huge majority of people in China use their mobile phone as the primary device for interaction and this has given Pepsi tremendous confidence to go ahead and launch this campaign.

These kinds of mobile based contests have become huge successes in the past (read American Idol and other such shows) and I have no doubt that this will become hugely popular too, given the kind of promotion Pepsi is planning to do.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones.

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