Ad Operations Online » SinglePoint

Conversational Advertising Emerges as a $2.04 Billion Market in Five Years

Otilia Otlacan — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:00:02 +0000

New Report From mobileSQUARED Illustrates How Message-Based Advertising is Shifting the Way Brands, Marketers and Agencies Approach Mobile Messaging

NEW YORK – A new report written by mobileSQUARED and issued by SinglePoint, the premier mobile messaging advertising network, defines for the first time the market for messaging-based advertising — Conversational Advertising — a market that is expected to grow from $47.8 Million in 2010 to $2.04 Billion in 2015 in the U.S.

The report, announced at the mobile marketing industry’s premier event, the Mobile Marketing Forum, forecasts that Conversational Advertising will represent 8 percent of total mobile marketing messaging activity in 2010, but will be the dominant model in the marketplace by 2015, commanding 72 percent of revenues for total mobile marketing messaging.

“This report quantifies the effectiveness of message-based advertising and demonstrates its appeal to both brands and consumers,” said Gowri Shankar, CEO, SinglePoint. “Those who believe that apps are the optimal way to advertise on mobile should consider the limited reach of the medium. In contrast, text messaging is applicable to all, and our experience with major brands has demonstrated that text is both engaging and creative—even in a rich-media environment.”

The report, titled, “Conversational Advertising,” defines Conversational Advertising as, “the agreed messaging-based communication between the consumer and a brand to deliver consumer benefits.” A study conducted by mobileSQUARED revealed that 50 percent of Americans would welcome Conversational Advertising.

Conversational advertising capitalizes upon the opted-in database developed by the brand to establish an ongoing relationship with the consumer. In doing so, the concept evolves beyond the traditional campaign ideology that has become the cornerstone in advertising.

“Campaigns, by their very nature, represent an occasional touch point with the consumer, and are therefore limited in their ability to encourage the ongoing interaction and engagement with the brands they desire,” said Shankar. “As the name suggests, Conversational Advertising introduces a discursive element to what has been, until now, a largely time-restricted engagement opportunity during a campaign.”

In the digital age, engagement is critical. Once a consumer has opted in and become engaged, it then becomes counter-intuitive to send an occasional communication. The effectiveness of the opt-in model is to maintain that relationship between the brand and consumer, measured by Cost Per Engagement. Furthermore, the report educates marketers about the appropriate cadence for Conversational Advertising, and suggests a new paradigm for the opt-in/opt-out dichotomy—the notion that consumers have the option to control when and how frequently they receive communication, and to even have the ability to take a holiday from a brand’s messages.

“An engaged consumer represents a higher response rate,” observed Nick Lane, analyst, mobileSQUARED and the report’s author. “By generating an opt-in database, the likelihood of developing a response from a consumer into a conversation increases dramatically, especially when consumers are able to dictate the terms of engagement with brands. Conversational Advertising addresses the existing messaging practices which are fleeting and largely ineffective beyond the realm of a campaign.”

SinglePoint found that 90 percent of text messages are read within three minutes of delivery, and that the recipient eventually reads more than 99 percent of all text messages. By contrast, 80 percent of apps in the App Store are downloaded 10,000 times or less. This means that 80 percent of apps will achieve an iPhone penetration rate of less than 0.1 percent. As app stores become more congested, and discoverability becomes even more of an issue, that percentage can only decrease.

“Messaging as a direct channel to the consumer sidesteps the issue of discoverability altogether, but can play a role in the discoverability of apps,” said Shankar. “Not only can it assist a consumer in locating an app, it can remind the user to use the app and inform the consumer of updates. To date the worlds of messaging, Web and apps have yet to converge. Conversational Advertising makes it possible, while always relevant and contextualized to the needs of the consumer.”

About SinglePoint™

SinglePoint enables brands, agencies and publishers to connect with upwards of 300 million wireless subscribers. SinglePoint’s full suite of products and services enables publishers to monetize their mobile messaging traffic and advertisers to access premium inventory to rapidly launch mobile advertising campaigns. SinglePoint works in partnership with entertainment, media companies, brand managers, advertising agencies and mobile networks. Current publisher partners include NBC Universal (Bravo, Oxygen, SyFy, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, USA Network), ABC/Disney, Viacom and CBS Corp. For more information, visit www.singlepoint.com.

SinglePoint Announces Appointment of Gowri Shankar as President and CEO to Lead Expansion of its SingleBrand Marketplace for Mobile Advertising

Otilia Otlacan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:45:45 +0000

Company Divests Its Messaging Aggregation Business to Exclusively Concentrate on the Burgeoning Mobile Advertising Market

BELLEVUE, Wash. – SinglePoint, the leading provider of mobile interactivity and SMS advertising services, announced that mobile and media industry veteran Gowri Shankar has been appointed president and CEO to lead the company as it greatly expands its focus on mobile advertising.

An early innovator in the mobile marketing industry, SinglePoint has built a successful business in interactive media, powering industry-leading SMS campaigns, including Deal or No Deal, MTV Movie Awards, the Oscars, Project Runway, the 2008 Olympics and the tremendously effective Obama for President text campaign. SinglePoint works with the world’s most prestigious media companies, including CBS, NBC Universal, Viacom and ABC/Disney. Over the past three years, SinglePoint has enabled over 80 percent of interactive TV transactions initiated by text messaging.

In 2009, SinglePoint expanded its portfolio to include SMS advertising services, creating a marketplace for publishers and advertisers to create content and purchase SMS inventory to serve advertisements. The SingleBrand Ad Marketplace is a Web-based transactional platform for delivering contextual mobile advertising, ranging from pure brand messages to interactive options, such as click-to-WAP, click-to-call and click-to-coupon, all dynamically inserted into the SMS message and targeted to the desired consumer demographic.

“Under Gowri’s leadership, SinglePoint has become a true industry leader with a premium network of publishers for SMS advertising inventory,” said Alec Andronikov, CEO, MoVoxx, Inc. “As a result, we have seen terrific engagement results for our brands and interactive agency clients’ campaigns and look forward to working closely with SinglePoint as a valued mobile inventory partner.”

Shankar joined SinglePoint in 2001, spearheading the company’s evolution from a mobile messaging infrastructure provider to the leading enabler of SMS marketing and advertising for the media and consumer packaged goods industries. With Shankar at the helm, SinglePoint’s marketing and advertising business expanded rapidly. At the close of 2009, SinglePoint sold its infrastructure business to Ericsson to focus solely on further developing its full suite of products and services to rapidly launch, refine and manage mobile advertising campaigns.

Prior to his new role, Shankar served as senior vice president, sales and business development, at SinglePoint and was a founding member of the Sprint PCS team. He led the creation of the first nationwide telesales and e-commerce distribution in the wireless industry, creating the foundation for Sprint’s industry-leading enterprise sales strategy. In addition to his work with Sprint, Shankar was general manager for eAssist, a CRM software company, where he developed eAssist’s international strategy and was responsible for the organization’s expansion into nine European countries.

“As we are witnessing with the overwhelming success of the Haiti SMS donations campaign, it is clear that there is no more effective medium than SMS to reach hundreds of millions of people and prompt them to take action,” observed Shankar. “The mobile marketing industry is at an inflection point where SMS evolves to be the preferred advertising platform driven by its unique ability to instantly reach an audience with high rates of effectiveness. It’s an exciting time for our industry, and I’m thrilled to lead SinglePoint as we define and expand the category of SMS advertising.”

About SinglePoint™

SinglePoint’s Ad Marketplace Serves over 2 Million SMS Ads for Southwest Airlines on Behalf of msnbc.com

Otilia Otlacan — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:00:18 +0000

SinglePoint Reports Increased Adoption of SMS Advertising by Premium Brands and Publishers in October

BELLEVUE, Wash. – SinglePoint, the leading provider of mobile interactivity and advertising solutions, announced that SingleBrand Ad Marketplace, the first web-based mobile advertising marketplace for SMS campaigns, has delivered over two million Southwest Airlines ads on msnbc.com breaking news alerts.

Utilizing SingleBrand’s Publisher Tools and Advertiser Suite, msnbc.com managed both the program inventory setup as well as the advertising purchase, allowing it to serve Southwest ads on its own breaking news text alerts, also powered by SinglePoint.

“We’ve been thrilled with the SingleBrand solution. The Southwest Airlines campaign was a test case for us and the results were impressive. Most importantly, the brand was pleased,” said Jeff Maurone, Product Manager, msnbc.com. “Sponsoring our mobile alerts is a critical final piece in providing advertisers access to all of our end-user touch points, including mobile web display ads and video pre-roll. We look to expand upon this recent success with many more SMS ad campaigns, having shown we have a dynamic solution, partner, and path for return with SinglePoint.”

Continuing to bring ad sense to mobile, SinglePoint enables innovative publishers and advertisers to connect with a registered, mobile-savvy audience. Publishers are able to use SingleBrand’s dedicated toolsets to create and catalog SMS inventory while advertisers can use them to discover and purchase inventory. The Ad Marketplace delivers a complete solution for contextual mobile advertising, ranging from pure brand messages to interactive options, such as click-to-WAP and click-to-call, dynamically inserted directly in the SMS message.

“With access to premium publisher inventory, including msnbc.com SMS alerts, SinglePoint provides a unique opportunity for advertisers to connect with an attractive consumer base of enrolled and active mobile users. The Southwest campaign is one of many examples in which SingleBrand helps match inventory with brands,” said Gowri Shankar, SinglePoint Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development. “There is a burgeoning demand for increasing revenue from existing and expanding text programming, as demonstrated by paid fill rates exceeding 50 percent and a 175 percent jump in paid ads served month over month.”

SinglePoint continues to be instrumental in helping non-mobile entities launch mobile advertising campaigns. Software companies, automakers, sports leagues, airlines, department stores, film studios and insurance agencies are among the first industries to utilize SingleBrand Ad Marketplace.

About SinglePoint

SinglePoint enables brands, agencies and publishers to connect with more than 270 million North American wireless subscribers. SinglePoint’s full suite of products and services enables publishers to monetize their mobile messaging traffic and advertisers to access premium inventory and rapidly launch mobile advertising campaigns. SinglePoint works in partnership with entertainment, media companies, brand managers, advertising agencies and mobile networks. Current publisher partners include NBC Universal (Bravo, Oxygen, SyFy, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, Sports, USA Network) and CBS Corp. For more information, visit http://www.singlepoint.com.

About msnbc.com

Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft’s advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually engaging stories on the consumer’s platform of choice. Based in Redmond, WA, msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) and NBC Universal (NYSE:GE).

SinglePoint Reports Explosive SMS Advertising Growth in North America since the Beginning of 2009

Otilia Otlacan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:30:19 +0000

SingleBrand Ad Marketplace SMS advertising traffic doubled every month since January, 2009

SAN DIEGO – SinglePoint, the leading provider of mobile interactivity and advertising solutions, announced that the recently introduced SingleBrand Ad Marketplace, the first web-based mobile advertising marketplace for SMS campaigns, is gaining significant momentum.

In less than a year:

•The total number of unique users reached 11M
•SMS advertising traffic doubled every month

Working with Ad Networks including Movoxx, Mojiva, Millennial Media and Marchex, SinglePoint is helping to connect the dots in a more productive and innovative way. The Ad Marketplace enables each ad network to access available inventory and insert branded messages directly into text message campaigns tied to top TV programs that incorporate viewer participation. Inventory includes popular interactive TV shows seen on all major TV broadcasters.

SinglePoint has also been instrumental in helping non-mobile entities launch mobile advertising campaigns. Software companies, automakers, sports leagues, airlines, department stores and film studios are among the first industries to utilize SingleBrand Ad Marketplace.

“Partnering with mobile ad networks gives our publishers a better spread of advertisers,” said Gowri Shankar, SinglePoint Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development. “SinglePoint stays focused in offering ad networks and advertisers access to this unique, highly targeted inventory in real-time for an efficient and cost-effective marketplace experience. From January to August, the number of SMS ads served by SingleBrand Ad Marketplace has grown 800 percent.”

This demonstrates SinglePoint’s increasing value to publishers in North America as they seek to leverage assets and provide relevant and effective mobile advertising services.

About SinglePoint

SinglePoint enables brands, agencies and publishers to connect with more than 270 million North American wireless subscribers. SinglePoint’s full suite of products and services enables publishers to monetize their mobile messaging traffic and advertisers to access premium inventory and rapidly launch mobile advertising campaigns. SinglePoint works in partnership with entertainment, media companies, brand managers, advertising agencies and mobile networks. Current publisher partners include NBC Universal (Bravo, Oxygen, SciFi, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, USA Network) and CBS Corp. For more information, visit http://www.singlepoint.com.

SinglePoint to Provide Mobile Messaging Advertising Services for MTV Networks and NBC Universal

Otilia Otlacan — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:00:26 +0000

Programmers to use SingleBrand Ad Marketplace in monetizing their messaging inventory

LAS VEGAS – SinglePoint, the leading provider of mobile interactivity and advertising, announced two separate deals with MTV Networks and NBC Universal. SinglePoint will be an ad solution provider for MTV Networks and NBC Universal, representing each company’s mobile messaging advertising inventory for multiple campaigns. Campaigns for NBC Universal’s properties include NBC, USA Network, SCI FI, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, NBC News, and NBC Sports, as well as Universal Studios and Universal Studios Theme Parks. MTV Networks’ campaigns include CMT, COMEDY CENTRAL, MTV, MTV Tr3s and VH1.

SinglePoint makes MTV Networks’ and NBC Universal mobile messaging inventory available through recently introduced SingleBrand Ad Marketplace – the first web based mobile advertising marketplace for text messaging campaigns. Advertisers and brands can easily browse available inventory, buy ads, submit creative and monitor campaign results, all via the Web.

“Whether its content delivery or monetization, MTV Networks is always looking to be as innovative as possible in the nascent mobile marketplace,” said Joe Lalley, Director of Product Development at MTV Networks. “SinglePoint’s new solution will help us to enhance monetization of our growing mobile messaging inventory.”

As part of the deal, SinglePoint will continue to manage and execute multiple participation media campaigns such as mobile voting, sweepstakes, contest, “breaking news” text alerts, and the delivery of personalization content for the myriad of NBC Universal and MTV Networks properties.

“Renewing and extending our agreements with MTV Networks and NBC Universal demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver new, innovative mobile messaging products,” said Gowri Shankar, SinglePoint Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development. “SinglePoint is focused on helping companies like MTV Networks and NBC Universal bring a mobile messaging experience that is fun, easy and personalized and we are pleased that MTV Networks and NBC Universal have again chosen SinglePoint as a strategic business partner.”

About SinglePoint

SinglePoint enables brands, agencies and publishers to connect with more than 270 million North American wireless subscribers. SinglePoint’s full suite of products and services enables publishers to monetize their mobile messaging traffic and advertisers to access premium inventory and rapidly launch mobile advertising campaigns. SinglePoint works in partnership with entertainment, media companies, brand managers, advertising agencies and mobile networks. Current publisher partners include NBC Universal (Bravo, Oxygen, SciFi, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, USA Network) and CBS Corp. For more information, visit http://www.singlepoint.com.