The mobile value added services (MVAS) industry, which is currently pegged at around Rs 5,000 crore, is fast becoming a cost-effective platform for advertisers. MVAS is a viable platform for advertising as it is a interactive channel between the brand and the consumer.
Experts say the reach of this medium is higher than television. There are around 400 million mobile phone users compared to 110 million TV homes.
According to experts, content related to films and cricket, at present, experience heavy spots of advertising through mobile VAS. The Indian Premiere League ( IPL), through MVAS, has also found a new and cost-effective way to market its brands, by leveraging the huge penetration of mobile phones and the obsession of the Indian audience with SMS. SMS GupShup, a growing mobile community, recently partnered with IPL teams like Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers and is rolling out various applications for their fans like poll, predict man of the match and talking to the cricketers.
Rahul Pandey, head, Mobile 18 said, ?The attention span of consumers for the MVAS is the highest and so it is a very effective medium for advertisers. Any cricket property always does well and is largely consumed. The stickiness for cricket content is very high and there is a great repeat value of 8-10 times more than any other content. Cricket is always heavily advertised upon.?
As far as films are concerned, Yash Raj Film?s Dhoom was among the first to use mobile as an advertising medium. Thereafter, many films have followed suit. The recently released film Straight , directed by Parvati Balagopalan, featuring Vinay Pathak and Gul Panag also tied up with SMS GupShup to create a mobile blog called Straight where fans and audiences could become mem-bers free of cost and interact with the actors.
Apart from fan engagement, it is a medium to publicise content of films, like music tracks, videos and ring tones. Mobile VAS helps in promoting a movie in a short span of time.
Hiren Gada, director, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd said, ?The entertainment industry has a tremendous correlation with MVAS in terms of content consumed. The year on year growth of mobile VAS is 25% and this year, the growth is expected to be not less than 20%. It is a powerful medium for brands to ride on for publicity, promotional campaigns and so on.?
The biggest challenge on how to monetise MVAS can be overcome by Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) advertising and SMS campaign. The need is to target the right audience and demography. At present, ring tones and caller ring-back tones account for two-thirds of the MVAS mix, but their growth is dipping.