Beep and sell

With innovative and eye-catching high definition ad formats beeping on phones and iPads,Talk2Me Ads are also doing the rounds.”With Talk2Me,users can engage with their favorite brands on iPhone and the marketers can share,respond and interact through enhanced features that let users download the branded app,interact with their In-App WAP site and replay the video advertisement,” Upadhyaya says.

While ads by Mother Care,Benetton and Wills might compel you to visit the stores,the concept of mobile coupons assure that you get additional discount on your purchases. “Mobile coupons are delivered through SMS and through mobile internet and depending on the type of campaign,can be push or pull based,” says Kunal Bahl,CEO,Jasper Infotech,a marketing solutions and services company. There are at least 3,000 retailers who are using mobile coupons including Nirula’s,Baskin Robbins and Dominos,he adds. “Nearly 70 per cent of consumers in India carry their mobile phones during shopping and 20 per cent redeem mobile coupons. Believed to be a Rs 5 crore business opportunity,it is expected to become a Rs 50 crore market in the next five years,” he says,adding that mobile coupons are most popular in the age bracket of 16 to 30 years old.

Mobile advertising is seen as a big step towards going paperless and saving the environment. “Billions of printed coupons are distributed every year,with a redemption rate as low as 0.5 per cent. With the advent of mobile coupons,the redemption rate is bound to go high,” says Deepak Mahajan,CEO,Pink Square,as he gets ads designed for 3G,as well as low priced smartphone handsets.

Mobile coupons are easier to handle for customers as well. “Mobile coupons come in handy and are always with us to redeem. Unlike the paper coupons,I have already used six of them —some at stores and others at eateries and restaurants,” says Ritu Singla,a BA second year student at the Government College for Girls.