Good Question! In fact it is, and this is a much better (because it is not intrusive and therefore does not look like SPAM) approach than sending out Bulk SMS ads.
We have some experience with it. In the SMS platform I created (building on tools from opensource domain), I refer to it as "Marketing Message". The idea is the following:
Imagine that we create a SMS service that becomes popular. We can sell the "Marketing Message" space to companies who want to adverstise. The ad can be related to the service (that's the ideal case), but not necessarily.
Example, a languages school can put ad in the translation services, a gymnasium can put ad in the Body Mass Index Calculator service.
We provided an SMS-based inquiry to a bank (I guess I mentioned it in my email), and in the feedback sent to the people responding to a survey, the bank used the "Marketing Message" space in order to tell people about some of their services. I designed the platform in such a way that the entity who buys the "Marketing Message space" can have a pool of 10 messages...The platform picks them in a round-robin fashion, i.e, users get different add messages.
The technology exists, what I see as required is a clear business model, i.e., how do you charge:
a. Per Character? b. Per number of messages sent c. Both.. d. Weekly, Monthly fee... e. Other
First we have to see the length of the main message. X for a message and Y for an additional character. So, cost = X + Y * number of additional characters. And monthly fees is simply number of message sent in a month.
I was not actually thinking about a very commercial applications. My focus was on community development while keeping the system sustainable. For example, Sri Lankan government provide various items (one of the most important ones is ThreePosha -nutrition meal given to pregnant mothers and infants). The distribution dates are not regular and most of the time the distribution center does not have stock. Therefore, the needed people could not collect these stuff. However, the staff can enjoy (since people do not come since there are not aware). This is one example of many.
This kind of problem can be solved by sending an SMS message when the stock arrive at the distribution center. In order to sustain this model, few cents have to be collected, but collecting money is not a viable. One of the solution is appending an advertisement at the end.
Oh Ok. if I understood it correctly, advertisers would pay in order to have their message sent in the bottom of the notification message to the beneficiaries of goods. It can work, if the advertisers see the target people as potential buyers of the products/services they are advertising.
In Mozambique, there is a similar program (not necessarily meals, but hygienic stuff)....they implement it as part of social responsibility with mobile operators. Once I asked (in a workshop where the initiative was presented) questions about sustainability of that model. They were not able to answer!
If we do this as a social service, what is the minimum cost to maintain this service. This service is run in parallel with commercial services. If we can get the price, we can ask for a long term contract from well wishers or commercial entities.
Hi Rasika,
ReplyDeleteGood Question! In fact it is, and this is a much better (because it is not intrusive and therefore does not look like SPAM) approach than sending out Bulk SMS ads.
We have some experience with it. In the SMS platform I created (building on tools from opensource domain), I refer to it as "Marketing Message". The idea is the following:
Imagine that we create a SMS service that becomes popular. We can sell the "Marketing Message" space to companies who want to adverstise. The ad can be related to the service (that's the ideal case), but not necessarily.
Example, a languages school can put ad in the translation services, a gymnasium can put ad in the Body Mass Index Calculator service.
We provided an SMS-based inquiry to a bank (I guess I mentioned it in my email), and in the feedback sent to the people responding to a survey, the bank used the "Marketing Message" space in order to tell people about some of their services. I designed the platform in such a way that the entity who buys the "Marketing Message space" can have a pool of 10 messages...The platform picks them in a round-robin fashion, i.e, users get different add messages.
The technology exists, what I see as required is a clear business model, i.e., how do you charge:
a. Per Character?
b. Per number of messages sent
c. Both..
d. Weekly, Monthly fee...
e. Other
First we have to see the length of the main message.
DeleteX for a message and Y for an additional character. So, cost = X + Y * number of additional characters. And monthly fees is simply number of message sent in a month.
I was not actually thinking about a very commercial applications. My focus was on community development while keeping the system sustainable. For example, Sri Lankan government provide various items (one of the most important ones is ThreePosha -nutrition meal given to pregnant mothers and infants). The distribution dates are not regular and most of the time the distribution center does not have stock. Therefore, the needed people could not collect these stuff. However, the staff can enjoy (since people do not come since there are not aware). This is one example of many.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of problem can be solved by sending an SMS message when the stock arrive at the distribution center. In order to sustain this model, few cents have to be collected, but collecting money is not a viable. One of the solution is appending an advertisement at the end.
Oh Ok. if I understood it correctly, advertisers would pay in order to have their message sent in the bottom of the notification message to the beneficiaries of goods. It can work, if the advertisers see the target people as potential buyers of the products/services they are advertising.
DeleteIn Mozambique, there is a similar program (not necessarily meals, but hygienic stuff)....they implement it as part of social responsibility with mobile operators. Once I asked (in a workshop where the initiative was presented) questions about sustainability of that model. They were not able to answer!
If we do this as a social service, what is the minimum cost to maintain this service. This service is run in parallel with commercial services. If we can get the price, we can ask for a long term contract from well wishers or commercial entities.
Delete