The latest obsession of Reliance Communication, the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group company, is “mobile advertising” as the company feels that with coverage extending to 10,000 towns and eight lakh villages, it would be an effective medium for potential advertisers.
The president, applications, solutions and content group of Reliance Communications, Mahesh Prasad, said in a release issued on Tuesday that mobile advertising is the presentation or promotion by firm or an identified sponsor of its products to its existing and potential customers where such communication is delivered to a mobile phone or other mobile device. Mobile marketing campaigns that were using SMS, and more recently MMS, have already helped to open up the eyes of the media world to the power of the mobile channel.
He said that Reliance Comunications, in a simplistic manner has pioneered this medium by working with brands like LG during the 2003 World Cup. Today, Reliance Communications which cover over 10,000 towns and 6 lakh villages believes that mobiles have become a platform which no marketer can ignore and if it stays away from being annoying, it can have aong run into the consumers mind space.
He said that Reliance Mobile World, offers movie promotions, advertorial video with interactivity sponsorship associated with different R World services like new product launches, market research, polling and product information for lead generation. He said that currently, mobile advertising is a very nascent market worth about Rs 10 – 15 crores, but by estimate it could border at Rs 50 crores. With the ever-increasing telecom base in India coupled with the availability of high-end handsets, Mobile advertising is slated to grow considerably in coming years.
He claimed Reliance Communications is the only Indian telecom operator to have become the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) member recently & hence is now in the process of shaping up policies & guidelines for the emerging medium. The MMA has been providing thought leadership and customised advice for mobile standards, guidelines and best practices since 2003.