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Cell Phones Drawing Ad Attention

The mobile phone, according to one pitch, could be the most powerful marketing tool ever invented. But until recently, the focus has been talking the talk (or texting the text). Now, from an ad perspective, there are signs of change. There are twice as many cell phones as personal computers worldwide, the International Herald Tribune notes--and in developed countries, most of the new phones can access the Internet. For advertisers that want to know more about how their targets spend their time, cell phones are even better than the wired Internet. They can track users' online clicks and can trace their steps, too--making it possible to zero in on target audiences. However, advertising via cell phone has been slow to build in most places, due to both the slow content services and operator reluctance to come up with television or Web-site-style ratings for their media offerings. Plus, while campaigns that invite consumers to request product information or register for contests via text messages have done well with niche audiences in Europe, the fear of spam has led regulators and operators to limit this to customers who "opt in." But interest in so-called text-based campaigns appears to be ready to grow. Jonathan Bass, managing director of Incentivated, a mobile-marketing company in London, says he expects a five- or six-fold increase in such activity next year from the levels of this year.

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