Mobile Choice Blog

Consumers not keen on text message mobile advertising

The advertising industry is really keen on sending targeted, personalised adverts to people's mobile phones. The problem is, people aren't that keen in return. That's the message from a survey conducted in the US by Maritz Research, which found that two thirds of respondents said they were unlikely or definitely unlikely to subscribe to "texted retail offers" sent to their phones.

Meanwhile, a separate survey by Nielsen/NetRatings found that 92% of people would be irritated by receiving local business ads on their phones, while a third survey from Harris Interactive found 74% of respondants saying that sponsored text links on their phones would be "totally unacceptable".

It's a big headache for both the advertising and mobile industries, which are counting on making big money from mobile advertising in the years ahead. They shouldn't necessarily be tearing up their business plans just yet, but it shows that the task of convincing mobile users to accept ads could be harder than first expected.

(via eMarketeer)

Blyk to basics: how receiving adverts could get you free calls and texts

The UK just got a new mobile operator: Blyk. And it wants to give you free calls and texts, but only if you're aged between 16 and 24, and don't mind receiving up to six advertising messages a day on your handset. The innovative service was announced yesterday in London.

Blyk is invite-only, like web-based social networks. Once you sign up, you have to fill in details about yourself and your preferences, before being sent a Blyk SIM which goes in your existing handset. From then, you get 43 free voice minutes a month, and 217 free texts, but  you can be sent up to six ads a day from brands including McDonald's, L'Oreal, Adidas and Boots.

Mobile advertising reaches a lucrative audience

There are lots of companies looking to make their fortunes from mobile advertising, but it's still quite early to decide whether they're on the right track. However, a new survey conducted by M:Metrics and AdMob indicates they might be.

According to the survey, 65% of people who respond to ads on AdMob's publisher network are in the 18-34 age bracket that's much coveted by advertisers. The survey also suggested that advertisers can easily target specific types of people, for example by gender or ethnicity, by advertising on certain sites.

In theory, this means more targeted advertising, which won't be seen as intrusive by mobile users, because it'll be more relevant to their interests. However, it's fair to say that the biggest advertisers will need more data than this before they plough serious money into mobile advertising. As we said, it's early days...

(via MobileCrunch)