Mobile users eager for marketing messages

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 14 June 2007 18:58

Opinion and Analysis

You would think that, in today's world where advertising and promotional messages are pervasive, nobody would want more. But they do. According to Alcatel-Lucent young adults want marketing messages on their mobiles. And guess, what? Alcatel-Lucent has the technology to deliver.

Alcatel-Lucent's 'Worldwide Lab', a program designed to understand the preferences of teens and young adults from around the world, has been examining how this demographic uses is cellphones. And, according to Alcatel-Lucent, "The latest results...reveal a willingness to purchase mobile content and a desire for a more streamlined, simplified mobile content shopping experience that mirrors other channels...They want to be marketed to as they are on the Internet, at the mall and on TV. All...want special offers sent to them."

Alcatel-Lucent contends that teens and young adults who have grown up in the Internet age "are used to having messages targeted at them and expect an integrated shopping experience."

However it claims they are going to be disappointed in what they get on their cellphones. "This expectation is strikingly different from today's mobile experience...The current mobile content shopping experience is challenging for teens and young adults and inadequate when compared to similar services at the mall or on the computer. [There is] a need to make the mobile experience intuitive, easy and fun – much more aligned to the television and computer experience and ensure that formats are compatible with all types of mobile devices."

Alcatel-Lucent says it found that "young mobile customers...expressed significant interest in receiving targeted ads including unsubscribed, personalised advertising and awareness campaigns that deliver relevant content to their mobile devices...[and] continue to be surprised at the lack of visible, relevant brands on their mobiles."