News Roundup: Recent Developments In Mobile / SMS Marketing #4

In The UK, The Register reports that kids will soon receive free phone call and text message credits, in exchange for listening to advertisements.

A mobile phone start-up will offer UK teenagers free phone calls and texts in return for listening to adverts from this summer.

Blyk, the company behind the scheme, has already signed Buena Vista, Coca-Cola, L'Oreal Paris, and Yell.com for the British launch. It is rumoured to be close to a network deal with Orange.

The company will target 16 to 24 year olds, who will "earn" free phone calls and text messages in exchange for receiving adverts on their phones. (Via Textually)

Textually also caught wind of some extremely interesting news on targeted mobile advertising. Targeted to what exactly? To the weather. Read the full piece at The News & Observer:

The next time you check a cell phone's Internet weather report on a cold and rainy day and see ads for umbrellas and Caribbean vacations, it might not be a coincidence.

Proving that not even Mother Nature is untouched in the online advertising boom, Atlanta-based Weather Channel Interactive plans to announce this week a mobile marketing technology that aims to match ads to the weather at a person's location.

The announcement of this "weather-triggering" technology is expected at the CTIA Wireless industry show in Orlando, Fla.

"Coca-Cola could advertise a hot beverage when it is cold outside and could advertise a new Coke Zero when it's hot outside," said Louis Gump, vice president for the Weather Channel's mobile division.

The technology relies on a system that labels and organizes every U.S. ZIP code, town and city. It delivers appropriate weather information and advertising when a person enters a location on a search form.

And finally, on a lighter note, Mobile Whack reports on the LG Electronics sponsored National Texting Championships:

LG Electronics will be holding their LG National Texting Championship in Hollywood at Paramount Studios and in New York City at the Roseland Ballroom. The contest is open to the public and will be held on March 31, 2007. Contestants will compete for $10,000 for the East/West Coast title and then advance to the finals in New York City for $15,000 and the National Texting Championship title on April 21, 2007.

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