Out There Media Attracts 2.5m Asian Users to Opt-in Ad Programs

Mobile advertising firm Out There Media has revealed that its permission-based advertising programs with Maxis and Globe Telecom in Asia have garnered 2.5m consumer opt-ins within a couple of months of roll-out.

In October 2010, brands including HSBC, McDonald’s and Unilever committed close to $4m in ad spend on the mobile channel in the Philippines for the permission-based mobile advertising programme run by Out There Media and Globe.

HSBC launched an SMS opt-in campaign in the Philippines in October 2010 to drive uptake of its Red MasterCard, designed for women. The campaign offered a reward of a complementary shoes to consumers who registered for the card. 40.1 per cent of the subscribers targeted responded to the initial message and 36.3 per cent provided their personal details during registration. The conversion rate for the campaign was 14.5 per cent. An MMS video ad campaign in Malaysia to create awareness and drive footfall to BMW Innovation Days generated a clickthrough rate of 50.4 per cent.

“This is an outstanding achievement for Out There Media to surpass the mobile advertising opt-in record within such a short period of time after the partnership announcements in Malaysia and the Philippines, respectively,” says Out There Media CEO, Kerstin Trikalitis. “It reflects a trend in Asia where advertisers are increasingly committing to the mobile medium to optimise their consumer outreach, and consumers are starting to see value in such campaigns.

“By integrating the opt-in service into the mobile advertising program, Out There Media is offering enhanced consumer privacy and customized services. Consumer reaction to such offerings is extremely encouraging and we see a huge growth potential for mobile advertising in Asia.”

Nicholas Khoo, senior consultant at Frost & Sullivan, says the analyst believes the opt-in model has a couple of things going for it. “It alleviates major intrusiveness and some privacy issues and shows the sort of courtesy likely to appeal to consumers, to advertisers looking at mobile as a platform to enhance brand engagement and performance and to operators worried about the potential negative impact on theirs,” he says. “The establishment and maintenance of a trusted environment may prove to be a core competence as mobile media develops.”