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Youth: Mobile Marketing, will it work?

No, this isn’t a rant about Blyk. So don’t worry. This is a look at how I think mobile marketing is being put to use, and whether or not it has had any effect on my spending, interesting, or anything of the sort really.

Way back in 2002 I got my first mobile phone, at the age of eleven. It was on T-Mobile, and I thought it was bloody brilliant to say the least; finally, I had a communication method. Along with T-Mobile, I also found I also received quite a few adverts; and for the most part, I remember them being totally useless (holidays, ringtones, or “Adult Services”), so I didn’t like them.

Then, I changed to Virgin Mobile, and it was much of the same. Except, Virgin are a little more concerned with what they said out to eleven/twelve year olds, and even up to this year, sixteen year olds. I got more ringtones offers, Virgin related offers, and quite a few other promotions too.

In all, they were pretty dull, pointless, and quickly deleted. They were nothing interesting, and they tended to be sent at some of the most inappropriate times (the middle of School, or something), and they would end up getting me into trouble.

Then, as I’m sure quite a few of you know, I joined Blyk. I had previously been asked about a new network being opened in the UK, and it would be funded by mobile advertising; and I was completely against it. I hate adverts; and I’m pretty sure everyone else does too. Yes, they make things free, but they are annoying, and tend to have really catchy jingles – which aggravates me beyond belief.

When I was told about Blyk, I forgot about my past resentment, and joined them. “Yay, free texts and minutes for adverts, and you never know they might actually be good!”

That’s where I think I was wrong. So far, nothing has been remotely inspiring, and I haven’t been keen to like new bands, or go to buy new products, or even existing ones. I’ll admit, I’ve got Sun Burn text alerts (I’m in dire need of them), but have I spent any money as a result?

No.

Have I gone out to the shops and looked up a new brand or something I haven’t look at before?

No.

And when I was being sent constant repeat reminders from Blyk to watch “Britain’s Next Top Model”, did I watch it?

No.
I’m not going to say here that just because it hasn’t worked for me, it doesn’t work for others. I know, we’re all individuals in this crazy little world, and we all have the choice to be drawn into the marketing that is sent our way, no matter what medium was used to do so.

What I’m saying is that marketing is something the majority of us try to avoid. I have Ad-Block Plus installed onto FireFox, and before that, I had Norton block the ports I knew advertising was sent through.
Then on the TV, do I sit around and watch them? No.
On the radio do I listen to them? No.

And the same can be said for a lot of young people. No one I know sits around and enjoys or even watches TV adverts – the channel gets changed for four minutes. On the radio, they’ll change the station.

On-demand TV, and the internet has revolutionised the way we watch TV, and yes, this isn’t mobile, but on-demand shows have none of that advertising attached to it. Is then, a coincidence that more and more people are turning to these services to watch their TV?

Now I’ll say this, all the adverts I’ve got from Blyk, I’ll read, and then delete. If they require a response, I’ll respond, but that’s it. I honestly couldn’t care less about their content.

What’s worse is that Blyk knows my interests and age, yet I still get sent offers which are totally out of reach with who I am, and what I like. I still get the occasional offer for a Holiday, or I get informed about competitions they are running which I can’t enter due to my age.

As all advertising is, it’s a multi-million pound industry, and it will make money, and I’m sure it’ll become more overt to the different age groups as it expands. But at the same time, we don’t like them. Many of us use a combination of tools and methods to steer clear of the ghastly things. Therefore I don’t see how it can be that effective.

I can’t say for sure, but I would be shocked if a number of Blyk members, or even normal mobile users, who receive adverts, don’t open and delete as I do.
A lot of people I know are reluctant about joining networks supported by adverts, because they don’t like them. They don’t want to be bombarded with promotions and marketing which will only every annoy them.

Before you debate about how I may wrong, which I accept I may just be, think about this: have you ever heard someone say that they bought or did something because of an advert they received on a mobile?

12 COMMENTS

  1. Samantha, is there anything you can think of that you would like to recieve through your phone? What would be useful?

  2. “have you ever heard someone say that they bought or did something because of an advert they received on a mobile?”…

    … yes, I have over 15,000 businesses who tell me each day about the success they are having with opt-in SMS marketing – everyone from churches to chip shops to football teams to plumbers.

    We have local pubs who text customers when they have a quiz night or a band… we have churches that remind people about service times…. we have pizza shops who offer 2 for 1 offers to their own local opt in customers.

    So yes, if mobile marketing is done properly it is very effective – perhaps the most powerful and efficient form of marketing available…. Blyk simply have the wrong model! 🙂

    Alastair
    Txtlocal

  3. you – like most people think you don't respond to advertising, and that it doesn't work.
    you are wrong and it does.

    i work on mobile adverting for a client – each time they run an advert they get between 500 – 3000 new customers per slot – and a slot is around 3 hours. it works, bloody well.

  4. Useful to me would be News updates. I'm an addict for BBC News channel, and anything like that. Other than that, I don't see anything of any use.

    I don't like adverts, and most things can probably wait until I'm on the computer.

    Then again, pretty much all my friends couldn't careless about Gordon Brown's latest cock-up. I'm a minority in that sense.

    Samantha.

  5. also is blyk just too much – i expect its probably a case of advertising in the way of content, rather than advertising inside content or ambient, which we all accept. BLYK seems like the ad equilivant of those automated cold calls.

  6. Shhhh! You're not meant to point out that the Emperor Has No Clothes.

    “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” – John Wanamaker.

    Non-Targeted advertising exits for two reasons
    1) On the off chance that just at that moment you have a longing for Baked Beans.
    2) To increase your awareness of the product so that in the future when faced between a choice of what to eat, you'll chose that brand of Baked Beans.

    Of course, those of us that dislike adverts block them out. They're not of interest and we don't want to see them. This leaves the people who do like adverts (and there are a disturbingly large amount of them) to see the untargeted ads.

    So, we're left with directly targeted ads. I know that you're a F/16/student – that's not enough to personally target you. That's enough to target your demographic. So I'd end up sending you adverts for heat magazine, fake tan and horoscopes. Not good.

    Now I'm forced into trying to know everything relevant about you to build up a specific profile. If I knew which books you read, shops you visited, web sites you read, friends you met etc I'd be able to send you deals on mobile phones, books about British Politics and alchopops.
    But – and here's the kicker – would you be happy with me knowing all of that about you?

    So, let's look at the three main reasons for advertising existing
    1) To subsidise. ITV shows are “free” because the advertisers pay for them.
    2) To profit. C4 make enough money from the Big Brother phone-ins to pay for the show. The advertising gives them more profit.
    3) To legitimise. As bizarre as it may seem, some people distrust the BBC because it doesn't carry advertising. Websites without advertising on them can often appear less professional than those carrying ads.
    People accept advertising because they don't want to pay directly. Even though advertising increases the cost of your annual shopping basket far more than the cost of the Licence Fee – they'd still rather not pay directly.

    So, you make a choice. Do you want to pay directly – or do you want to pay indirectly? If you do want to pay indirectly, how much information are you willing to sacrifice for relevance?

    What a long and rambling post….

  7. Agreed.

    But it's also not that I want Blyk to know more about me, or anyone for that instance; it's that not many people do enjoy adverts. Yes, there may be a big demographic that do, but I wonder in what age groups?

    Long and rambling posts are good!
    😀

    Samantha.

  8. Funny. I've said to myself the same thing when receiving an ad mentionning that I can meet new celibs by Idontknowwhattrademark… and i mentionned to FB I'm in arelationship…
    That's not just Blyk I think. That's user tracking and CRM management that has to be refreshed no?

  9. Funny. I've said to myself the same thing when receiving an ad mentionning that I can meet new celibs by Idontknowwhattrademark… and i mentionned to FB I'm in arelationship…
    That's not just Blyk I think. That's user tracking and CRM management that has to be refreshed no?

  10. Funny. I've said to myself the same thing when receiving an ad mentionning that I can meet new celibs by Idontknowwhattrademark… and i mentionned to FB I'm in arelationship…
    That's not just Blyk I think. That's user tracking and CRM management that has to be refreshed no?

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