The essence: Mobile Marketing

We’re all familiar with companies using SMS as a marketing tool. Whether it’s to introduce a new album or to get voters to the polls, mobile marketing is a tool every company needs in its arsenal. Pushing a text message to a cell phone seems simple enough. But what happens when a human can help facilitate the customer response? That’s when mobile marketers turn to live assistance. That’s right, real human beings answering the phone!

Madonna promoted her most recent album to fans via an SMS blast to their cell phones. Consumers got the option of preordering her album by pushing “1” on their phones to connect to a live customer service representative who processed the order. In the past, such live assistance was cost-prohibitive. But by using an offshore call center, companies can add live operators to their mobile marketing campaign for less than half of what it cost before.

Wireless Tech. : The hot new marketing channel!

Nokia introduces local marketing solution aimed at bringing localized and timed services to consumer’s smartphones via Bluetooth. With the solution, operators and services providers can advertise their own and partner services in relevant places, at relevant times. Here is a scenario:


"Early in the morning, the user receives the bus schedule into her smartphone as she approaches the bus station. On her way to lunch, she passes by a local pizzeria, and receives the lunch menu with the day's special offering. In the pizzeria, she can check the local news from her smartphone. On her way home, she receives a bookmark from a video rental store, and decides to go in and rent a movie. Again, when approaching the bus station, she can easily buy the bus ticket with just a few clicks."


The information, that the consumer receives, is filtered according to consumer's own pre-defined preferences. The content consists of service bookmarks and coupons, which are stored into separate bookmark folders in the phone, instead of message inbox. The consumer can then use these bookmarks whenever he/she wants. The bookmarks will contain relevant information of the services, like the description and the price of the service.

March'07 : GSM subsribers 6.1 million

Indian GSM mobile phone service providers signed up a record 6.1 million customers in March, taking total users to 121.4 million, a telecoms industry body said.

The March increase was the highest-ever monthly rise and compared with 4.9 million new users in February, the Cellular Operators' Association of India said in a statement released late on Wednesday.

Bharti Airtel, India's top mobile provider, added 1.7 million customers in March, taking its user base to 37.1 million.

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., added 2.0 million customers, taking its user base to 27.4 million, while Hutchison Essar Ltd's 1.1 million new customers lifted its user base to 26.4 million.

The Association represents nine carriers offering wireless services based on the widely prevalent GSM platform.

Reliance Communications is India's second largest mobile services provider, but most of its subscribers are on the CDMA platform.