Commentary

Wireless

A recent study conducted by ARC Group and the WAA (Wireless Advertising Association) found that 41% of wireless users were somewhat willing to exchange personal information for relevant ads on their wireless devices (only 7% of users were extremely willing). With advertiser-friendly news like this coming out, there has been a noticeable increase in partnerships between wireless technology companies and traditional companies. HereÕs a look at some recent alliances and the technology behind them.

The Associated Press has partnered with Voxline in an effort to offer AP content over wireless devices. The subscription-based service, called WebTap, delivers breaking AP news alerts (via SMS) and Web access to wireless users all over the world. The AP has yet to market this space to advertisers, although an area has been built in between the AP headline and the article itself for future advertisers and sponsorships. Tom Slaughter, vice president and director of AP Digital, says that when wireless advertising takes off, ad space will already be available in their product. ÒOur partnerships account for the possibility that an advertiser may want to try advertising within each news message that is sent out. SMS messages for wireless devices are up to 160 characters in length. AP wireless news alerts are up to 94 characters long. The difference [66 characters] is where the time stamp and Ôad spaceÕ go, which can be sold.Ó

Mazingo, a wireless entertainment network, recently teamed up with FOXSports.com to deliver video highlights on PDAs. For $14.95 a month users can access any of the 1,600 shows offered (Extra, Celebrity Justice, and the Weather Channel are just a few), or for $6.95 a month they can get FOXSports.com. The technology, as Carmine Gallo, vice president of strategic alliances at Mazingo puts it, is seamless. ÒThe video files [MPEG and Windows media] reside in folders on the publisherÕs server. Mazingo copy protects the files and links the publisher with the PDA users [for an automatic download].Ó Files are updated anywhere from once to three times a day and can be deleted at any time. Since Mazingo offers both paid and free content, Gallo says, incorporating advertising with its free content is a possibility, but consumersÕ paid subscriptions will remain ad-free for now.

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