Skip to main content

SMS Mobile Ads Preferred by Consumers

A new Harris Interactive study on people's attitudes toward the economy and technology reveals that over one-third of U.S. consumers say the dire economy will not affect their spending habits.

The majority (60 percent) of consumers who will now limit their discretionary spending will curtail going out to restaurants (74 percent) and limit their purchase of electronics (71 percent), among other choices like buying fewer clothes and taking fewer vacations.

One shining light for marketers interested in reaching fickle consumers during this economic downturn is the finding that a significant number of consumers (41 percent) have no plans to stop or cut-back on the purchase of cell phones.

Moreover, engaging a consumer's attention through their mobile devices is seen as an increasingly viable advertising channel. To many, it seems the use of mobile phones has become an indispensable part of their lives.

According to a new study from the National Center for Health Statistics, 16 percent of U.S. homes are using wireless phones exclusively -- more than double the amount from the same period in 2004.

These trends support the push by marketers to leverage mobile advertising as part of an integrated marketing program to promote their brands and sell products and services, Harris analysts conclude -- especially during difficult economic times.

The research indicates that mobile advertising, especially via mobile phones, can gain a foothold among this large and growing group if it is unobtrusive, targeted toward an individual's personal tastes and offers something unique.

Among teens surveyed, over half (56 percent) said they would be interested in viewing mobile ads with incentives, while over one-third (37 percent) of adults noted that they would be receptive to such advertising.

Survey respondents were asked to identify the best mobile advertising incentives. Cash is first, with 80 percent of adults and 70 percent of teens identifying it as the top incentive for responding to mobile advertising. Entertainment downloads (61 percent), free music (57 percent) and complimentary minutes (53 percent) also are popular incentives among teens.

Among adults, free minutes (49 percent) and discount coupons (37 percent) are appealing incentives. Free entertainment (31 percent) and free music (24 percent) also captured the attention of adults.

In terms of how these incentives should best be delivered, the Harris Interactive research indicates text messaging (SMS) is the most preferred advertising approach among over two-thirds (69 percent of adults and 64 percent of teens) of consumers.

Popular posts from this blog

Digital Talent Demand Exceeds Supply in Asia-Pac

Even the savviest CEO's desire for a digital transformation advantage has to face the global market reality -- there simply isn't enough skilled and experienced talent available to meet demand. According to the latest market study by IDC, around 60-80 percent of Asia-Pacific (AP) organizations find it "difficult" or "extremely difficult" to fill many IT roles -- including cybersecurity, software development, and data insight professionals. Major consequences of the skills shortage are increased workload on remaining digital business and IT employees, increased security risks, and loss of "hard-to-replace" critical transformation knowledge. Digital Business Talent Market Development Although big tech companies' layoffs are making headlines, they are not representative of the overall global marketplace. Ongoing difficulty to fill key practitioner vacancies is still among the top issues faced by leaders across industries. "Skills are difficul

Mobile Device Market Still Awaiting Recovery

The mobile devices market has experienced three years of unpredictable demand. The global pandemic, geopolitical pressures, supply chain issues, and macroeconomic headwinds have hindered the sector's consistent growth potential. This extremely challenging environment has dramatically affected both demand and supply chains. It has led to subsequent inflationary pressures, leading to a worsening global cost of living crisis suppressing growth and confidence in the sector. In tandem, mobile device industry stakeholders have become more cautious triggering market uncertainties. Mobile Device Market Development Operating under such a backdrop, the development of mobile device ecosystems and vendor landscapes have been impacted severely. Many of these market pressures persisted throughout 2022 and now into 2023, borne chiefly by the smartphone market. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, worldwide smartphone shipments in 2022 declined 9.6 percent Year-over-Year

Open Banking Usage to Grow by 470 Percent

The Open Banking business model has been advantageous for Third-Party Providers (TPPs), helping them to extend their offerings into other areas of financial services with new capabilities. Open Banking is also advantageous for traditional banking institutions, despite the perceived loss of custodianship over their data, by providing greater accessibility to more bank services. Furthermore, Open Banking can help serve Mobile Internet providers that are able to leverage it to create tailored services according to customers’ preferences and/or economic limitations. Open Banking Market Development Since traditional banking services are made more convenient by TPPs via greater data access, customers can proactively manage their finances and shape the development of new financial offerings. This is particularly noticeable in the realm of Digital Payments, where retail merchants and customers transact through eCommerce, which has the greatest number of use cases for Open Banking. These includ