With the likes of Google, Apple and even Facebook taking the lead in the mobile advertising space, operators seeking a share of the pie have to resort to innovative methods to capture audiences’ attentions.
Turning an ignorant eye toward mobile advertising would be, quite simply, akin to sweeping dust under the carpet.
Operators such SingTel have resorted to in-house applications with built in ad platforms and location-based text alerts, while the mature markets of Japan and Korea have seen great success with NFC.
However, such methods may prove unrealistic in emerging markets where smartphone penetration remains low, and the majority of mobile devices remain limited feature-wise. Certain operators in the region have therefore adopted a form of permission-based mobile advertising that may bear fruit.
Malaysia-based DiGi has its mobile advertising program, named iDeal, tailored after an incentive scheme for customers. The program, which had its soft launch in December, is an opt-in scheme available to all DiGi’s subscribers.
Customers get to choose what genre of advertisements they would like delivered to them via text message, and receive incentive points for every advertisement viewed. These incentive points can be converted to perks such as free voicemail minutes and text messages.