• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 31, 2010

Dear Google,

Please create a tool that allows me to send SMS text messages for free. You did a great job with the call feature on Gmail. Now it's time to move on to similar mobile features. The carriers will move in to take advantage if you don't create a method to lower SMS campaign costs for advertisers and make it less expensive for consumers to share.

The biggest problem: Carriers can't support the increase in use of services by mobile subscribers in any capacity. For example, when I exceeded my limit of 200 monthly SMS message for $5, my carrier AT&T called to try and sell me more. During the conversation the call dropped and the sales rep had to call me back.

Today, society tells us to share. Share information, content, and knowledge through searches, links and networks. Mobile consumers are prone to share content and broadcast what they do. So, as people increase sharing, and content gets more social, eMarketer estimates staggering numbers for mobile use in the United States outlined in a report released Tuesday.

1) 94.9 million U.S. mobile gamers in 2014 will generate $1.51 billion in revenue, up from 64 million and $849 million in 2010, respectively

2) 52.2 million U.S. mobile music listeners will generate $676.5 million in mobile music revenue in 2014, up from 52.2 million and $143.2 million in 2010, respectively

3) 56.7 million U.S. mobile video viewers in 2014 will generate $1.34 billion US mobile video revenue in 2014, up from 23.9 million and $548.3 million in 2010, respectively

The question of free or fee content seems to baffle service providers, marketers and advertisers. They don't seem to have a clear footing on what works when. As eMarketer Senior Analyst Noah Elkin explains in the report-Mobile Content: Games, Music and Video Take to the Cloud--consumers will pay if it means unlimited access to music and fewer ads for example. "With app downloads tilting in favor of free apps, publishers and marketers must adopt a multipronged strategy built on a small number of successful paid titles and an extensive back catalog of paid apps that capture long-tail searchers," he writes. "They also need a comprehensive approach to monetize free downloads that includes ad support and sponsorships."

Maybe ad-supported targeted text messaging with a non-intrusive blurb at the bottom that reads sponsored by AT&T, sponsored by Verizon, or sponsored by Nike. The consumer opts into the service, which might include direct text messages from merchants providing specials and coupons. Similar to a Promoted Tweet on Twitter, except this would become a Sponsored SMS.

Advertising or marketing in the age of overload, as Mark Kroese, general manager for the Advertising Business Group, Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft, put it in a blog post. He's suggesting a variety of features on XBox Live apps, but I believe a more subtle approach serves as continuous reminder.