Can't say I love you?

Can't say I love you directly? Now Dial ****** on your mobile and download love quotes! Subscription Rs.5/Quote.

This is the flash message I got today on my DOCOMO number. Please someone help me say I love you. The sick part is that there is a TV commercial featuring similar content! This is being telecast on prime time.

These messages come even after I entered my number in the DND list. Every day I get a call from an automated service to subscribe to some hellotune or the other. Happens to you too? I can stand the irritation to an extent as long as your pulse billing doesn't accelerate mine.

My question is, are there someone in the whole mobile user universe that still depend on some stupid mobile sms quotes that go around for expressing love, invest in stocks, buy stuff that might change my fortune? If yes, I sympathise with you. You should try talking in your own terms, not depend on some mobile quotes. If no, welcome to the club. Mobile operators should take a cue and send the sms' or flash messages only to those that care and respond. If I don't care, please DND. May be you should try your luck at something like the Jaago and Jeeto.

Mobile Marketing ahead

Numerical data is finally starting to corroborate claims of mobile marketing’s potential for massive growth in the future of advertising. According to a new report from industry analyst Berg Insight, mobile marketing could account for as much as 11.7% of all digital advertising by 2014.

In conjunction with these projections, it is estimated that the total value of the mobile marketing sector could similarly increase ten-fold. Berg Insight has based its projections on the evolution of mobile marketing as a more commonplace component of traditional ad campaigns, as well as other digital marketing endeavors like online newsletters and email marketing.

“Advertisers are increasingly aware of the opportunities and seek new ways to exploit them,” says Marcus Persson, telecom analyst at Berg Insight. “Just the simple fact that people are able to make a phone call or send a text message anywhere at any time has changed the conditions for marketing in general.”

To read the full report from Berg Insight, click here.

New advertising model

Latest reports by Nielson Mobile suggests that consumers are gradually turning towards mobile advertising. Nearly one-fourth of all U.S. mobile subscribers, 23% to be exact, say they have viewed mobile advertising in the last 30 days.

The Nielsen study also found the number of mobile data users who recalled seeing advertising jumped 38%--from 42 million to 58 million between the second and fourth quarters of 2007.
Furthermore, more than half of mobile data subscribers, 51%, who saw an ad responded to it by sending a text-message, clicking on it, or calling a specific number. Nielsen estimates 199 million Americans use some type of non-voice mobile service from text-messaging to video streaming.

There is growing receptivity by consumers to mobile advertising. While only 10% of data users said they find mobile advertising acceptable everyone understands now that mobile content will become more robust if driven by an advertising model.

In short, data subscribers are more willing to accept advertising in exchange for lower costs or better content.

• 32% said they're open to mobile advertising if it lowers their overall bill
• 13% will welcome it if it boosts the quality of their mobile media offerings
• 23% expect to see more mobile advertising in the future--up from 15% at the start of 2007

You must have felt it in India too over last few months. The number of ads and msgs you receive on your mobile has almost tripled. Welcome to advertising on mobile. The bad part is that it is disturbing and intrusive. The good part is that the ads are personalized, relevant and practical.

What do you think? Is this good?