The Ubiquitous Mobile Marketing

Advertisements secured a place in our day-to-day life and it has entered into our new, inseparable organ – Mobile phone. Bulk SMS is the latest buzz in the advertising world. Though launched in the City three years back, the mobile marketing companies now have a rocketing growth rate.

“You are not sure if the advertisement in newspapers or television would reach the audience. The case is different with SMS. An SMS never go unseen. The content will surely reach the target,” said a marketing officer at a Bulk SMS company based in Technopark, explaining the effectiveness of mobile marketing.

Cost of an SMS with 160 characters starts from 1 paise. SMS could be sent to any number of receivers depending on the database. Coupons or vouchers given to customer to fill phone numbers is a part of collecting database. Customers will then get added to the seller’s databse. Some others collect mobile phone numbers even by conducting contests; however, selling or buying database has not legalized yet.

The companies usually segregate the database according to the demand. Target may be divided based on area, age, or profession. Many youths are getting attracted to this new business, the development cost of which is very low. The minimum requirement is a computer. Technopark based TNGiCUBE and reseller companies like MistAllianz, Hellotvm, and Dial a City are all based in Thiruvananthapuram.

Currently the bulk SMS services are used by various companies and business groups. Mobile marketing is more popular in North India. Stock brokers use the facility to alert their clients on latest stock updates. Various groups like event managers, jewelers, educational institutions and even filmmakers are using the mobile marketing techniques to market their products. Bulk SMSs have turned up as the best medium to alert customers on various offers during festival seasons.

The developments in mobile will add new applications into this field. Currently SMS in local languages are available. The advertisements may come as MMS clips in the future. With mobile industry getting equipped with more and more facilities, the advertisements reaching your hand will go beyond one’s imagination.

Feels it a menace?
Though bulk SMSs are gaining popularity, some may feel it as a disturbance. Then the government is offering a simple way to get rid of the menace. Just log on to http://www.donotdisturb.in/, the National Do not call/ disturb registry. The Bulk SMS companies will update on this registry and those who do not wish to be a part of the advertisement service will be excluded from their database.