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 Wired-Up chats to Steve Wunker, Chairman of the Wireless Marketing Association about the short and long of SMS |
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Wired-Up: Where is the main growth currently coming in wireless digital services? Steve Wunker: The main growth area in SMS is still c-to-c [consumer-to-consumer] communication, supplemented by an increasing amount of business-to-consumer communication. Wireless messaging is probably the best way to reach consumers, as you can reach them virtually wherever they are. Wired-Up: What new services can we expect from wireless digital technology? SW: What we understand of as technologies such as SMS now will become increasingly outdated. At present, it is used as a convenient form of communication. New forms of wireless digital messaging including embedded menus, which will ‘push’ digital information to your mobile phone, as long as the consumer has ‘opted in’ for it. For people unused to ‘texting’, this will make SMS easier. Other growth areas will be in sending pictures, sounds, brand logos and, in a few years, even video services to your phone. These services will not be as ‘data-rich’ as they are on a PC, but they will be much more immediate and accessible. Wired-Up: Why has SMS, in particular, proved so popular with consumers, and increasingly popular with corporates? SW: The main reason is that they live up to their name - they are short messages. They carry a lot of information in a short space, but it is important that these messages are information-rich. They are also extremely easy to use. [‘Real life’ TV show] Big Brother received twice as many SMS text messages voting participants out of the house as they did via fixed lines. Wired-Up: What has held back the commercial growth of SMS, for instance in delivering marketing and branding messages to consumers? SW: Until recently, some companies have been reticent about undertaking branding and marketing campaigns using SMS - mainly because the messages are unable to contain rich media, but also because SMS marketing, like e-mail marketing, is a new marketing dynamic that needs to be learned. Most companies outsource SMS marketing services - going to professional companies that develop cost-effective marketing services as well as helping with the creative side. You can spend as much or as little as you want - for example, you can get a basic marketing message service going for as little as £2,500, and for £50,000 you can get a lot of exposure on wireless. It doesn’t have to be expensive, whatever your size of company. Wired-Up: Finally, what can we expect from wireless services in the future: SW: In the short-term, there will be a great demand for bespoke wireless marketing campaigns, particular in CRM [Customer Relationship Management]. In the medium-term, we should expect wireless services to carry more advertisements. For these to work effectively, advertisers should make consumers think of them as useful information rather than plain advertisments, in order to capture and keep their attention. |
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