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Mobile phones are emerging as the new medium for advertising. While TV and
Internet are hot, several companies are sending SMS or MMS, or pre-recorded
messages to promote their products or services. And there is the tele-calling,
which despite the Do Not Call Register option, continues to be a big business.
A population of over 100 crore people with over 25 crore mobile phones, makes
a lot of sense for mobile advertising. And things are only going to get better
as mobile phones get more features including GPS services, better interactivity,
search capabilities, and bigger and more colorful screens. Interestingly, a
recent APAC survey of mobile users reveals that 50 percent of the respondents
said they were moderately interested in receiving ads.
At the moment, mobile advertising business is estimated at Rs 30 crore, but
is likely to cross the Rs 150 crore mark in the next 18-24 months. Music is a
good success example; in 2008, consumers in India purchased huge amount of
music, screen savers and ring back tunes after they got SMS offers.
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Ibrahim Ahmad |
While the potential is apparently huge, the ground reality is a little
different. There are a few players who have solutions to offer. But as they say,
there are not many takers. Obviously, companies that want to reach out to
present and prospective customers through their mobile phone are looking for
partners who can work out the end-to-end solution for them, including a
fail-proof business model.
The first challenge before solution providers (SPs) is to convince ad
agencies and advertisers. The basic numbers-size of Indian population and mobile
phone base-about India is a compelling enough reason to consider mobile
advertising. Besides, there are some success stories to emulate. Therefore,
viable solutions should not be impossible.
Smart SPs know that the low cost and high impact of mobile advertising can
get hundreds and thousands of small companies to advertise, which would have
been otherwise beyond their reach. SPs can also engage telecom operators, who
with their falling average revenue per user, are looking at all possibilities to
offer more and more to their customers.
Ibrahim Ahmad
ibrahima@cybermedia.co.in Page(s) 1
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