Two people in a small kiosk at a local supermart want you to try out the new
breakfast cereal being launched by a popular food maker. There would be many
such stalls and people distributing samples across the country, and at some
point, across many countries around the globe. We have all been through such an
encounter, probably even till very recently. But can we ever imagine the same
thing happening over the mobile phone? Yes, we can.
In early this January, Kraft Foods tied up with YOC to create a mobile
campaign to promote the launch of its new instant coffee products, Jacobs 3in1
and Jacobs 2in1, in the USA. The aim was to minimize sampling wastage and
associated costs, and achieve accuracy in the research. The campaign is a mix of
traditional media with an intention to conveniently provide consumers a way of
ordering samples of the coffee via mobile. The campaign was launched across
print, TV and mobile. The results: 500,000 samples were placed directly among
the target group and more than 80,000 users registered their details for
permission-based marketing in the future. And thats just the beginning of the
success of the campaign.
Mobile marketing is here to stay.
At home, there is a strong and definite move toward mobile marketing. From
the use of technology, including the ubiquitous cell phone, to reach out to
vote-banks by political parties, campaigning for social causes, or even the
annual sale notifications by popular brands that fill our inboxesthe change is
visible and affecting us.
Hard to Ignore
Traditional forms of advertising continue to be where clients and
advertisers put maximum money. But the mobile is a powerful communications
device with respect to mobility, reach, and immediacy, and this is becoming hard
to ignore. The numbers also say that the scope is immense: with 2.4 bn mobile
phones sold around the world last year and 350 bn text messages exchanged across
the world mobile networks every month, promotion and branding through mobile to
soon become mainstream is topping future predictions.
Popular Mobile Marketing Trends |
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And with Internet reaching out to mobile handsets and networks, the impact
becomes manifold. PC Internet led the way to an interactive and instant medium.
The mobile Internet is all that along with instant gratification. Here lies its
strength and business proposition for advertisers.
Data Bytes |
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Mobile marketing is very location-based and targeting is simpler. Revenue
sharing will happen because it is not an open ecosystem, but it may change with
the Internet. The faster the Internet penetration the sooner the revenue sharing
equation will change, says Vinay Goel, head of products, Google India.
It was not until now that we have started recommending the mobile as a
medium of communication, simply because people didnt know how to, says Nihar
Das, regional managing partner, Mediacom.
A study by eMarketer in 2008 shows a positive growth in global mobile
advertising revenue from $4,586 mn in 2008 to $7,375 mn in 2009, with a forecast
growth of up to $19,149 mn in 2012. Mobile search advertising, mobile display
advertising and mobile message advertising would be the three main pillars
driving industry growth.
Mobile Marketing is the most upcoming medium for advertisers and marketers
globally. The current technology is fully capable of adjusting to the connection
speeds and type on connectivity. The advertising engine adapts to basic GPRS,
Edge, 3G or 4G and displays advertisements accordingly. Most handsets in India
currently support basic mobile browsing and thus a large number of traffic
originates from India, says Sanjay G, founder, mobiSolv.
The Nike campaign hoarding at Times Square, New York City |
Having 300 mn mobile subscribers in India brings the opportunity for
advertisers to go where nothing else canthe rural belt. We have seen more
downloads happening from small towns and rural areas than in metros because in
the metros people are exposed to multiple medium. For promotion campaigns in
rural parts of the country, we have even used unicode which has had a great
impact, says Saurabh Vartikar, vice president, Mauj.
Integration is Key
Choosing mobile as a medium of advertising and marketing is mainly to
overcome the disconnect that lies in traditional advertising methods. So as
SMSes or even WAP portal ads result in providing anytime, anywhere information
to customers, Internet is taking that to the next level and enabling them to
take action with that information immediately. The growth of Web usage on the
mobile, and especially smartphones, has greatly given a fillip to mobile
marketing, and helped it come out of its pull-based SMS advertising image to a
certain extent.
Companies with a physical presence in the form of stores, catalogs, websites,
and even those related directly to people will be able to leverage mobile
marketing to extend their presence. With the coming of 3G, marketing through
location based servicespromotions and information based on the location of the
customerswill have a direct impact on the point of sales. To know about
discounts being offered by restaurants in the area that you are in would be of
more relevance than getting generic SMSes about sales and discount at
restaurants on the other side of the city!
Advertisers have seen higher results through mobile advertising on WAP
portals than on the Internet. Explaining this, Asif Atif, CTO, Mobile Worx says,
The results through mobile marketing have been modest, though not a paradigm
shift. Click through rate on the mobile is much better than on the Internet.
Roughly, Internet has a click through rate of below 1% while mobile has
somewhere between 1-7%. He believes that thanks to the mobile and new and
innovative applications, consumers can have access to services for free because
someone else is paying for it (advertisers).
Prevailing Trends
A Nike hoarding on Times Square, New York City called people to SMS ideas of
shoes, that would then be customized, click and put-up at that very spot. The
designs selected were given free to the creator. The idea was compelling, easy,
and eye-catching, and all enabled by an SMS short-code and human creativity.
Needless to say, the mobile promotional activity was a sweeping success.
Major companies are taking up mobile marketing and coming closer to the
households. Retail giants, banks, insurance agencies, and even medicos are using
the mobile to club services with marketing. When customers SMS a balance query
to their banks, it is likely that the information is provided along with new
schemes. A GPRS connection will further enhance the experience and effect.
Mobile integrated events as a mobile marketing tool, where users write in
comments or send ideas about products, design or people are fast becoming
popular. Mobiles for election campaigns have also become popular. An NGO
recently used the mobile SMS mode to invite Mumbaikars to form a human chain to
show solidarity against the Mumbai terror attacks. Here the interpersonal,
intimate, and interactive traits of the mobile are being used to the
advertisers and campaigners advantage.
Nihar Das of Mediacom says that the growth of mobile marketing has just begun
for countries like India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. But since the PC
Internet penetration is so low in these countries, the only means to reach the
rural areas would be through mobile phones that now commonly come with GPRS
enabled in them.
Sunrise advertisers like insurance will drive the mobile marketing growth,
says Das. Traditional advertisers like FMGC will like to incorporate mobile into
cross-media marketing mix in order to differentiate themselves from competition.
Maujs Vartikar says that in the future a lot depends of 3G. We are really
waiting for 3G. While initially there wont be much activity, but gradually,
mobile commerce, mobile coupons and location based services are going to be the
next big things in mobile marketing.
Not there Yet, and Why
Mobile marketing is however fairly a newcomer in the mobile ecosystem driven
by its advantageous characteristics of high reach and personalization, yet
fumbling when it comes to how best to leverage those characteristics.
Though there is a shift toward mobile Internet-based marketing, the focus
remains on SMSes. Whether messages sent proactively to inform loyal/existing
customers on schemes that might benefit thempush-based, or messages that are
sent randomlypull-based, junk SMSes are as common. Though both push and
pull-based ads are found while navigating WAP portals as well, the user
perception differs greatly. For the success of mobile marketing, and to both
gain and retain user confidence, assuring them of their privacy should be
top-of-mind. Also, marketing that will improve their lifestyle and productivity
will be a success.
Unethical and un-solicited SMS sending has been providing a bad reputation
for the marketers, but mobile Internet browsing is totally user dependent with
no invasion of privacy. It works on the pull mode and displays advertisements
only when the users are browsing similar to Internet browsing. This is another
reason, mobile Internet-based advertising is more acceptable to advertisers and
marketers, says Sanjay of mobiSolv.
It is predicted that even as mobile Internet grows, mobile text messaging
will still play an important role in 2009, especially for a country like India
where 3G is yet to make a difference.
According to Vartikar, Mobile is a tactical media; it is supportive. So
branding is difficult. But because it is intimate and impulsive, it is very
effective for promotional activities. As of now, majority of brand names
jumping into the mobile marketing space are using SMS as the first and major
step toward mobile marketing.
For Das, effectiveness of mobile marketing is not in campaigns. Mobile
advertising will work best only when there is a chance for it to convert into
transactions. It is effective once it can be converted into a purchase.
Asif Ali, CTO, Mobile Worx says that the next three years are big for the
mobile marketing space. Mobile has been seen as an additional or supportive
medium, but in the three years companies would allot 20-25% of their advertising
to the mobile, predicts Ali.
As with all marketing tools and media, a profitable proposition is the one
that takes into account user privacy and relevance. User consent can work in
favor of the service provider and advertiser as they can bring them
personalized, timely and relevant information by means of ads and services
togethera reason that would eventually lead to mobile marketing and information
working hand-in-hand.
Shikha Das
shikhad@cybermedia.co.in
ACL Wireless
CEO: Sanjay Goyal |
Positioning: ACL Wireless is a leading provider of mobile value added services. Headquartered in India, it employs over 250 people and was founded in the year 2000. ACL offers a wide range of SMS, IVR and GPRS-based applications and services to mobile operators, enterprise and consumers. The company specializes in the development of consumer centric mobile community applications and managed mobility services. ACLs portfolio of products include mobile instant messaging, mobile social networking, mobile chat, SMS broadcast and alerts, SMS and voice short codes, carrier agnostic connectivity, ring-back-tones, voice and WAP portals, and mobile content aggregation amongst others. These products and services are deployed on more than 30 mobile networks in over 20 countries across India, Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and Latin America. |
Acision CEO: Rory Buckley Year of Start-up: 2007 Target Customer: Telcos Address: Vatika Tower, Ground Floor, Block B, Sector 54, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon122 002, Haryana, India Tel: 124 4646100 Website: www.acision.com |
Positioning: Acision is the worlds leading messaging company, providing communication solutions for over 300 network operators and service providers globally. The company enables more than 300 customers to serve over 1.5 bn consumers in 135 countries across six continents. It delivers more than half of the worlds text and multimedia messages and serves three quarters of all videomail users. Acision was the first company to enable management decision making based on real time analysis of subscriber behavior. Its mobile payment systems have enabled global customers to secure more than $100 bn of revenues. |
AccelTree
CEO: Vivek Mannige |
Positioning: AccelTree Software focuses on delivering quality software which enables customers run their business with maximum efficiency. AccelTrees core specialization is in mobile enterprise applications. AccelTrees team of technologists comprises software architects, engineers, localization consultants and domain experts.
AccelTree uses its expertise in the mobility and |
Active Media Technology
MD India: Raj Singh |
Positioning: Active Media Technology is involved in deploying mobile coupons, vouchers, loyalty solution, tickets and m-CRM solutions. They have the credit of delivering and redeeming the most number of mobile coupons in the world. Their mobile marketing technology and campaign solutions enable clients to target brand messages and content, improving the effectiveness of marketing spend through the mobile medium.Their patent pending RAPOS (Redemption at POS) technology is a scalable product suite that is already powering the entire UK cinema industry, leading operators, media companies, global brands and retailers. |
Atom Technologies
CEO: Jignesh Shah, CEO |
Positioning: Atom Technologies is a mobile payments service provider. Focusing on innovative use of technology in the mobile transactions ecosystem, Atom Technologies has created multiple patent pending products and services for mobile payments, mobile banking for the unbanked, IVR-based payments and mobile based service distribution framework. Atom Technologies is an initiative of The Financial Technologies Group. A group that pioneered the creation of high transaction density backbone and solutions for financial intermediaries and digital marketplaces globally. |
Bharti Telesoft
CEO: Manoranjan Mohapatra |
Positioning: Bharti Telesoft is the leading provider of integrated VAS solutions for mobile operators in emerging markets. Its broad portfolio of offerings reflect the demands and opportunities of the growing mobile marketplace: mLifestyle and mCommerce solutions, core VAS applications that differentiate the operator in increasingly competitive markets. With the recent acquisition of Jataayu, a leading provider of mobile Internet applications, Bharti Telesoft now supports operator differentiation via its Jataayu Mobile Device Solutions portfolio of applications, working with handset manufacturers to create interfaces and services that deliver a competitive edge. Among the top 3 global providers of integrated VAS solutions in rapidly growing markets, Bharti Telesoft has deployed solutions for over 100 mobile operators in over 70 countries worldwide. Its solutions help power services to over 500 mn mobile subscribers globally. |
Buzzcity Technologies
CEO: Dr Lai Kok Fung |
Positioning: BuzzCity runs a community-based mobile advertising network, and owns and builds myGamma.comthe worlds largest mobile social networking community. The advertising network has over 2,200 most popular WAP sites of the world and myGamma.com has over 3.1 mn users across the globe. The advertising network provides advertisers an exclusive opportunity to reach out to a huge unwired population across the globe and manage/control their advertising campaign with targeting parameters as Country, Time Zone, Telco/Operator, Region, Handsetmake, device and patform along with a day budget and a completely DIY advertiser interface. |
CanvasM Technologies
CEO: Jagdish Mitra |
Positioning: A player in the mobile VAS space, CanvasM is focused on developing and deploying VAS solutions, applications and platforms for its clients. It specializes in end-to-end enabling of solutions with managed services which bring together content, technology and device expertise to ensure an enhanced digital experience to customers of telcos, media houses and enterprises. CanvasM leverages the telecom expertise of Motorola with the system integration capability of Tech Mahindra. CanvasMs offerings are spread across the domains of entertainment, digital promotion, network and utility VAS. It also houses an innovation center and testing lab which enables hosting and rapid prototyping of applications helping companies take their products to market faster. |
Cellcast Interactive CEO: Pankaj Thakar Target Customers: Media/agencies, consumers Address: PO Box No 16338, Delisle Road Post Office, Mumbai-400 013 Website: www.cellcast.in |
Positioning: Cellcast Interactive India is into developing integrated participation content in the fast-growing Indian mobile and interactive TV market. Its primary product is Bid2Win, which has already received 30 mn responses from 2.5 mn individuals in a span of one year. Cellcasts content is distributed on new as well as traditional media with real-time participation enabled through SMS, IVRs, Web, WAP & 3G. With TV as mass medium and Print, Internet & Radio too used extensively. Cellcasts content has strong revenue generating capabilities. Cellcast India has already created a strong track record in this arena, and has rapidly growing operations in several countries like Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. |
Cellebrum Tech
CEO: Saket Agarwal |
Positioning: Cellebrum Technologies is into the business of operating in the Wireless Applications space, developing innovative applications and also wireless-enabling the existing ones. They are involved and focused in two major areas: wireless applications development and wireless applications. Uniquely positioned as one of the foremost company in Asia Cellebrum provides a complete set of services and implementation skills for converging technologies, such as telecommunications, mobile phones and the Internet (e-commerce). They have the capability and competency to provide end-to-end solution for diverse technological setups. |
Cellnext Solutions
CEO: Aspy D Mehta |
Positioning: Cellnext is a next-generation end-to-end enabler of mobile value added services for mobile operators, media companies, content providers, enterprises and others. A subsidiary of the $500 mn Escorts Group and a leading provider for mobile connectivity, applications, solutions, content and services, Cellnext was established in year 2000-01 and works with all major telecom operators and large enterprises like Airtel, Idea, Reliance, American Express, LIC, UTI Bank, ICICI Bank, Citibank enabling all the players in the value chain to deploy value added services quickly and cost effectively. Cellnext has expertise across telecom connectivity bearers like SMS, IVR, MMS,GPRS and has available a range of mobile applications to be deployed on such bearers. |
Four Interactive
Co-Founders: Kiran Konduri and Shriram Adukoorie |
Positioning: Four Interactive is focused on building easy-to-use services that are at the intersection of the mobile, content and the online world for Indian consumers. Asklaila is Indias local information service, launched by the Bangalore-based start-up. Asklaila provides accurate local information along with user-generated content that presents interesting perspectives. Asklaila allows users to search, discover and evaluate local services and businesses. Their service is present in six cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Asklaila launched its mobile service via both SMS (58989) and WAP (m.asklaila.com) to make local information easily accessible the customers on the move. Asklaila entered into a strategic partnership with Airtel to provide multi modal and multi platform local search service to all Airtel customers. |
Flytxt
CEO: Dr Vinod Vasudevan |
Positioning: Flytxt is the leading technology provider for Mobile Marketing 2.0. Neon, the carrier-class integrated mobile marketing platform from Flytxt enables mobile operators and service providers to unlock the huge potential of mobile as a customer engagement channel. Flytxt was founded by mobile marketing |
Greycell Mobile
CEO: Siddhart Vyas |
Positioning: Greycells business model features the development and marketing of products and services for the mobile VAS space. The company aims to offer applications, products and services that will help establish a goal of convenient, affordable, reliable and effective communication services that can be accessed any time, any place and just in time. Whether it be music, video, information, news or value added services, the services are offered across platforms. Expertise involve content managed services, gateways, SMSC, mobile alerts engine, integrated communication services, mobile video delivery, etc. |
JiGrahak Mobility Solutions (ngpay)
CEO: Sourabh Jain |
Positioning: ngpay is the brand name of the mobile commerce service provided by JiGrahak Mobility Solutions. It is Indias largest mall on the mobile. Through ngpay, consumers anywhere across India can shop, buy tickets, bank, order food, pay bills and moreeasily and securelyfrom their mobile handset. ngpay offers a range of mobile services from its fast-growing network of partners. In a simple, consolidated menu, users can transact with over 65 partners across 10 sectors, and this number is increasing every month. Since its launch in February 2008, ngpay has become the fastest growing end-to-end mobile commerce service in India. It has over 200,000 registered users and is already the largest mobile channel for Indian Railways and Fame Cinemas. |
July Systems
CEO: Rajesh Reddy |
Positioning : July Systems is a leading mobile media company. A Mobile 2.0 pioneer with several major media houses and sports leagues among its customers. Julys Mi Channel, the industrys first mobile 2.0 platform, powers direct to mobile channels for media, sports, business, and entertainment brands. These user-centric mobile Internet channels result in significantly increased usage, advertising inventory for publishers, and an engaged opportunity for advertisers. For consumers, Mi Channel provides live, personalized, interactive and multi-media experiences. Mi RevCentral is a comprehensive monetization program for mobile portals that comprises the technology platform, management tools and business relationships required to maximize revenues from mobile inventory. |
mChek
CEO: Sanjay Swami |
Positioning: mChek is an exciting new payment system that marries your credit card to your mobile phone, allowing you to make payments from your mobile phone. Currently any valid Visa/MasterCard Credit Card issued by any bank in India can be used with mChek. In the future, mChek will also enable debit cards and other payment methods. The vision of the company and its founders was to augment everyones financial universe by creating a mobile payment platform that could make and receive payments securely and instantly over any distance.
One of the key design imperatives of the team |
mGinger
CEO: Chaitanya Nallan |
Positioning: mGinger is a service providing targeted advertisements on mobile phones. The consumer base is built through a registration process in which the consumers specify their commercial interests, maximum number of ads they would like to receive in a day, convenient time-slots and their demographic information. Apart from getting information related to their particular interests, the consumers also receive monetary incentives for every ad they themselves receive and for each ad received in their network up to two levels of referrals. The mGinger platform solves |
mKhoj Solutions
CEO: Naveen Tewari |
Positioning: mKhoj is a Mobile Advertising marketplace that gives advertisers a targeted way to reach out to consumers directly on their cell phones around the globe, and has given mobile publishers a way to monetize their traffic. Advertisers can use the vast reach and precision of the mobile medium to create a strong brand and generate leads. Publishers can use mKhoj to get contextual ads for its customers to increase the value of their mobile property. mKhoj has been rapidly evolving with the |
Mast Mobile Media
CEO: Nimish Shrivastava |
Positioning: Mast Mobile is a mobile media, advertisement and technology company based in India and the US. They target operators and brands, helping them realize significant RoI via versatile, turnkey, end-to-end VAS platform and integrated ad ecosystem. Their portfolio includes aggregating advertisements and content, managing the portal and ad ecosystem, and advising on technology strategy. They have products focused on mobile ads and music portals, etc. From hosting, deployment to program and product management, they provide end-to-end services . They also work closely with many content providers to bring popular as well as differentiated content to operators. |
MobiSolv
CEO: Sanjay Gupta |
Positioning: MobiSolv operates a targeted mobile advertising network for advertising and marketing activities on the mobile Internet ecosystem. The company currently has hundreds of publishers which provide multi million impressions per month, and increasing rapidly. Their USP is a highly targeted and localized mobile ad-serving engine with strong IP potential. The |
Mobile Mantra
CEO: KJ Singh (Director) |
Positioning: From just mobile messaging needs to enterprise level applications, Mobile Mantra connects multi retail outlets having multiple database to one single platform and enables communication with customers on their mobile. The company provides ready to use product for all customer communication needs. Mobile mantra is a digital cross media agency providing integrated branding, promotion and distribution solutions. Mobile Mantra |
MosPay Info Tech India
CEO: Shantanu Dash |
Positioning: MosPay focuses on mobile applications based on Learn, Work and Play. The objective being to use mobile phones as a tool for learning, backup, finding locations, hotel bookings, ticketing, payments, remote control, email, IM, etc. MosPays experience in platforms like J2ME, Symbian, BREW, Windows Mobile, Mobile Linux, etc and work on MMI, systems/devices, etc. It has strong experience in system testing of various mobile handset applications and platforms. It also has strong experience with data synchronization technology (push and pull based), Sync ML, Experience with Bluetooth development/integration, Security and Trust Services API. |
MyScreen Mobile
CEO: Raghu Kilambi Year of Start-up: 2007 Target Customers: Brands, agencies |
Positioning : MyScreen is a patent-pending innovative marketing and advertising solution within the mobile communications industry. It enables advertisers to communicate with the consumer, and establishes direct dialog between the two. MyScreens technology is both a permission and incentive-based marketing model that allows mobile subscribers to be compensated for receiving targeted rich-full screen, contextual advertisements which appear at end-of-call, when subscribers are most receptive to view communications. |
Nazara Technologies
CEO: Nitish Mittersain |
Positioning: Nazara Technologies is a mobile entertainment company and content provider to all mobile operatorsfrom Archie comics to high-end games, wallpapers to songs, games to puzzles, and entertainment to sacred mantras. Nazara claims to be the one-stop solution to all entertainment needs. Nazara exclusively licenses many well known brands such as world famous Sanjay B Jummani, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virendra Sehwag, Archie Comics, GM Vishwanathan Anand, Sameera Reddy and Stardust Gossips and develops mobile contents based on these iconic brands. Some of campaigns like SachinNazara with Reliance have been very successful and Nazara will shortly launch Vishwanathan Anand chess club on mobile. Nazara has become the first Indian player to launch a 2D mythological game based on Mahabharata called Gurubhakta Eklavya, also available on iphones. It will soon launch a series of mythological games based on Indian epics and including Mahabharata, Ramayana, Panchtantra and Akbar Birbal, etc. It is also working on games based on Marathi and Bengali movies. |
Netcore Solutions
CEO: Abhijit Saxena |
Positioning: Rajesh Jain launched Netcore Solutions in 1998 to focus on affordable software solutions for Indian corporates. Netcores mission is to develop products and services for consumers and enterprises. Netcore has built an impressive client base of more than 1,000 corporates across 800 locations in India and abroad using its messaging and mobility products. Netcores mobility division has been creating benchmark permission based mobile products and services. Created under the umbrella brand of MyTodayMyToday mobi, MyTodaySMS and MyTodayMOBS provides an array of services to millions of users across the length and breadth of the country. |
NetXcel
CEO: Debasis Chatterji |
Positioning: NetXcell provides a platform for developing mobile value added services. The company focuses on development of a specific product based on the operators needs and also moves along with the operator in understanding the behavior of the products in the market and enable correction in the process. NetXcells solutions integrate enterprise IT and wireless environments enabling the deployment of value added services. NetXcells value added services include information services on mobile like news, business news, stock updates, horoscopes, movie reviews, jokes and downloading of ringtones, picture messages, operator logos, etc. NetXcell introduced Cricket on Mobile, Advertising on Mobile and Exam Results on Mobile in Indiasome of the most popular value added services accessed by the mobile users. In addition, the company also hosts various kinds of value added services. |
Nimbuzz
CEO: Evert Jaap Lugt |
Positioning: Nimbuzz offers an all-in-one solution on the mobile, PC and Web for calling, conference calling, instant messaging, group chat and chat rooms, and photo and file sending by aggregating popular social and IM communities to deliver VoIP, (geo) presence and Instant Messaging (IM) to the mobile, PC and Web. They use the capabilities of mobile Internet to reduce customers communications costs and encourage the sale of data for operators. Nimbuzz has positioned itself to become the largest global communications platform for seamless IP-based communication among mobile devices and social media platforms. |
Nuevo Telesoft
CEO: Vinay Bhartia (director) |
Positioning: Nuevo Telesoft provides mobile and IT solutions to enterprises, facilitating them to mobile and SMS enable their businesses. They provide complete end-to-end solutions for setting up SMS short codes, SMS broadcast tools, SMS integration with databases and mobile advertising and marketing services. They boast of clients like Puma, Baskin Robins and Provogue. |
Obopay
CEO: Carol L Realini |
Positioning: Obopay is a pioneering service that lets consumers and businesses purchase, pay, and transfer money through any mobile phone using Obopays mobile application, text message or phone Web browser in real time. As the first comprehensive mobile payment service created exclusively for the mobile phone, Obopay works on any phone and with any cellular operator to empower consumers and businesses with the convenience of secure, speedy and convenient mobile payments. The concept for Obopay |
One97 Comms
CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma (MD) |
Positioning: One97 Communications provides localized content, robust platforms for network services and is the perfect partner to take a message to the market via the telecom media. Launched in December 2000, One97 Communications very quickly grew to be a company that Business Today profiled and predicted as one of the hottest companies in India. Today One97 is setting benchmarks in telecom VAS innovation, creating applications that are unique and relevant in the domestic and international markets. It has recently formed many strategic |
OnMobile
CEO: Arvind Rao |
Positioning: OnMobile is Indias largest white labeled VAS company for mobile, a landline and media service providers. The company offers telecom value added services, voice portals, ringback tones, mobile content aggregation and distribution, interactive media portals, mobile advertising, 1-to-1 direct marketing on mobiles and m-commerce. It provides services like ring back tones, WAP, voice portals, TV programming, mobile marketing, etc.
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Paymate (India)
CEO: Ajay Adiseshann |
Positioning: PayMate enables instant transfer and reciept of money, payment for retail purchases, monthly utility bills, flight and movie tickets, etc, with speed and safety. PayMates mobile payment solutions link the mobile phone to any financial instrument of the customers choice, whether its an existing bank account, credit card or a prepaid accountturning the mobile phone into a secure payment tool to be used anytime, anywhere. |
Phoneytunes
CEO: Taron Mohan |
Positioning: Phoneytunes.com is among the most respected players in the telecom VAS domain with a series of revenue generating services and platforms helping carriers and operators globally with powerful technological solutions. With over seven years of experience of working with various telecom operators and technologies, Phoneytunes has delivered some best-of-breed and carrier grade VAS platforms helping operators with generating incremental revenues with significant increase in ARPU. Phoneytunes has a development center in New Delhi, India. The key values while designing solutions include helping operators with increase in revenues and reduction in costs. |
ProtonDreams
CEO: Vunay Bhide (founder) |
Positioning: ProtonDreams is a leading provider of Web and mobile enabled workforce management solution which is tightly integrated with Microsoft Project and Excel; allowing automated task scheduling and anywhere-anytime response capturing using Web and SMS technology. Their main area of operation is remote workforce management. Their focus is on organizations whose revenues are tightly coupled with productivity and performance of field personnel. ProtonDreams solutions are targeted at sectors such as; retail, logistic and distribution, construction, energy and utilities; off-shore exploration and post sale customer service. |
SMSCountry Networks
CEO: Satya Kalyan Yerramsetti |
Positioning: SMSCountry provides enterprise mobility solutions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of enterprise communications. Alongwith enterprise mobility solutions SMSCountry is a leading provider of targeted mobile advertising on SMS and WAP through its product called 160by2. Rated amongst top 25 fastest growing technology companies in India in 2008 by Deloitte, SMSCountry was also identified as one of top 10 innovative companies in India by Microsoft in 2007. Leading corporates in India and globally use SMSCountrys services to integrate their CRM and sales systems for real time delivery of information through SMS. SMSCountry handles accounts of bluechip companies like Cadbury, Coca Cola India, Hindustan Unilever, Max New York Life, NIIT, Frito Lays, Virgin Mobile, etc amongst its customers. |
Sunsilica Solutions
CEO: Venkam Raju |
Positioning: Sunsilica is an emerging player in the wireless and electronic messaging market. Having worked with major industry players, the company helps its customers achieve mobile marketing, wireless messaging and content distribution goals. Sunsilica develops and markets wireless applications and cross-platform solutions for clients in various business sectors. Sunsilica was among the first few companies in mobile computing. Sunsilica has its development center in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is engaged in the business of providing wireless messaging solutions. |
ValueFirst Messaging
Country Head and Co-Founder: Vijay Shukla |
Positioning: ValueFirst is a provider of enterprise mobile messaging services with a clear focus on SMS mobile messaging. It allows its customers to communicate between varied IT back-end systems and mobile phones using SMS services. The company provides an end-to-end, carrier-grade mobile messaging services platform that includes configurable software applications, custom development and application hosting, as well as connectivity with over 500 mobile operators worldwide. As part of its offerings ValueFirst provides access to an intelligent mobile messaging middleware, products and service support. The companys mobile messaging platform supports both CDMA and GSM handsets. |
Webaroo
CEO: Beerud Sheth |
Positioning: Webaroo was founded in June 2004 with the vision of developing innovative mobile solutions for the consumer market. Over the last three years, Webaroo has developed several market leading products. Some have already achieved a significant market traction, while others are well on their way to getting there. SmsGupShup is perhaps the most popular product of Webaroo. It is a mobile group SMS service that allows users to create mobile communities and broadcast messages to them. GupShup is growing rapidly with thousands of groups on topics such as finance, entertainment, lifestyle, health, sports and technology. |
Ziva Software
CEO: Ajay Sethi |
Positioning: Ziva provides products and services in the Mobile Search domain. They have taken a leading step in the next generation of integrated mobile search and social networking with platforms built to fundamentally change the way people access and interact with information from a mobile phone.
To meet highly specific industry and application |