Hard as it may be to believe, it gets tiresome pointing out the myriad flaws of telcos and mobile operators sometimes. There are so many, and their approach to fixing them is like squeezing a balloon: push things down in one area, and they pop up in another. So, after a while, you start to let things slide as the resignation sets in. Every once in a while, though, you see something so stupid from a telco, it makes you want to roll your chair back, and just bang your head on the desk.
USA Today - AT&T cable plan includes wireless:
Right now, advertising is limited on cellphones. Some of that owes to federal laws. But it’s also because carriers can’t figure out how to make phone advertising palatable to customers, Helbing [Scott Helbing, AT&T executive vice president of entertainment] says.
Under consideration: Ads integrated into cellphone ring tones. AT&T is also looking into acquiring content that can be used as an ad vehicle.
“This is a huge (revenue) opportunity,” Helbing says.
Ads. In Ringtones.
Maybe I will bang my head on my desk. It is unbelievable that the sheer stupidity of this idea hasn’t hit anybody at AT&T hard enough to take it off the table immediately. Then again, the company’s execs have quite the track record for verbal diarrhea.
Is it really that stupid? I know there’s a demographic for whom ringtones are a style statement, but there’s an equally important ‘price is everything’ sector. If my phone beeps, plays a tune, vibrates, chirps, or plays an add, or a tune associated with an add - it means the same… pick up the phone. Where’s the harm in that. If there’s a big revenue for the operator, there’ll be an incentive for me to use the service. Anything that brings down my monthly bill is good in my books.
Just look at the success of ‘3 Pay’ where ‘3′ pay you to pick up, because they accrue termination revenue - you were going to pick up anyway, weren’t you?
Think outside the ‘ads are bad’ box every once in a while!
[...] The Chronic Stupidity Of Telcos: “ [...]
3Pay is completely different, because it’s invisible (or inaudible) to the end user. Sure, there’s a cheapskate segment of the market, but something this intrusive and annoying isn’t going to attract many takers — and it’s also got the potential to annoy potential Cingular customers as well and damage its brand.
Furthermore, it’s technically unfeasible (will they simply remove silent mode from phones?), and it won’t be particularly attractive to advertisers (how will the operators accurately target the ads, distribute them and ensure they get played? how will advertisers measure their effectiveness?).
I’m not sure I’ve ever been stuck inside your “ads are bad” box — check out what I’ve written in the past about ad-supported content. But for mobile advertising to work, it’s got to be well-planned and executed, and it’s hard to see how this idea could be.
I can see it now -
“No-Choice Ring-Tones” - At Cingular, we tell you what to hear, and you pay less . . .
How do I sign up for that?
And guess what companies I’m going to HATE after I’ve heard a particular ad 18 times in a day?
Yes, you’re right, it’s going to be difficult to track the effectiveness of this new class of advertising. It’s also a tricky technical solution, unlike the ‘Ring-back-tones’ that are catching on slowly.
But I’d still be really ok with Vodafone choosing my ringtones, as long as they were - musical variants of popular quality TV ads, film trailer audios, etc…
And just think of the possibilities for Video ring tones, whenever videocalling happens.
What I wouldn’t like is, “Call LoansDirect on 0800xxx after your call to consolidate your debts into one affordable monthly payment…” ! Now that would certainly drive churn.
But give these highly creative operator marketing types their dues, I’m sure they can come up with a non-intrusive (even value adding?) ad-ringtone service, as long as the technology supports it.
My bet is on a pre-configured Java plug-in to new handsets.
Done badly this = upset and churn.
Done well this = enhanced loyalty.
There’s a reason why people have branded bumper stickers and the like. It’s because they WANT the affinity with the product / company.
An ad does not have to be “buy my product now” stuff.
In the context of ringtones it might be an extract from the theme song of a new movie - or the theme music used by an aspirational brand.