MMS - Multimedia Messaging Service
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) advertising is growing rapidly in the market and is set to go head-to-head
with television advertising in 2007 as an alternative means for companies to extend their brands.
Riaan Groenewald, Multimedia Solutions operational director, says the main difference between MMS and television
is that MMS allows companies to be much more focused in reaching out to consumers. It is now being offered as a
viable through-the-line alternative channel of advertising.
"MMS really gives power to both the sender and receiver. Advertisers can deliver a content rich message
including video, sounds, pictures and text to specific consumers, while the consumer has the choice of whether
to accept or reject an incoming MMS and is also able to unsubscribe from the service at any time," he says.
In addition, while planning a television campaign is a long and involved process involving the creation of
the advert and the booking of airtime slots, a MMS campaign can be created quickly and provides direct access
to the consumer.
MMS really gives power to both the sender and receiver. Advertisers can deliver a content
rich message including video
— Riaan Groenewald (Multimedia Solutions Operational Director)
Consumers will also be happy to know that their interests have been prioritised, he adds. Firstly, the
advertiser pays for the MMS. This means that even the downloading of the MMS via GPRS (General Packet Radio
Service) is free, Groenewald says. Secondly, Multimedia Solutions only delivers MMS between 8am and 5pm, unless
the MMS is prompting an after hours event. Lastly, Multimedia Solutions anti-spam policy ensures no consumers
receive unsolicited MMS with MMS only being sent to consumers who have specifically asked to receive information
on the advertisers' products.
The other benefit of MMS is that unlike television, it can be viewed whenever the consumer wishes to. This means
they do not have to be sitting in front of the television, but can download the MMS and view it when it is convenient.
And they are able to view it as many times as they wish.
Groenewald says from the advertisers' point of view, MMS is much more targeted than TV. Before the MMS campaign is
initiated, the cellphone numbers they wish to send MMS to are validated with the cellular networks to ensure they are
registered for MMS preventing wastage. Segmentation can be taken further, by only sending MMS to consumers based on
criteria including gender, age, financial eligibility, buying preferences and so on.
The stats
MMS advertising has proved to have a five percent to 12 percent response rate within 48 hours of consumers receiving
the MMS. The MMS are also forwarded on by consumers who receive them, accounting for an additional 3 percent of responses.
Consumers are able to unsubscribe at any time. In this case, if another advertiser wishes to send them a MMS, Multimedia
Solutions' platform will inform them that the specific consumer(s) have chosen not to receive any information via MMS.
With MMS growing in popularity over the last year, around 70% of numbers which are submitted to the networks for
verification are registered for MMS. The system also provides live tracking of delivery and responses to MMS campaign.
Unlike TV adverts, advertisers can observe in real time when their MMS are downloaded and how many consumers unsubscribe.
If the MMS offers a SMS competition, then the number of SMS responses can also be tracked.
Origins and growth:
Groenewald says he came up with the idea for bulk MMS after his daughter was born. He wanted to be able to send pictures
of his new-born baby along with information on her weight and so on out to friends and family.
However, when he investigated the idea he found there were serious integration challenges in sending bulk-MMS
simultaneously through the networks. There were also a number of challenges in ensuring MMS could be viewed on all
the phones on the market as each phone handles MMS differently.
"What followed was 18-months of development to set up the platform and overcome the challenges of being able to design and
mass deliver MMS. This led to the launch of Multimedia Solutions' first product, the new-born baby service, in mid-2005," he says.
During the design process, Multimedia Solutions also developed a design interface which empowers clients to design their
own MMS. "Advertisers can therefore spend more time crafting their message and less time worrying about how it is delivered,"
he says. Furthermore, MMS delivery through the cellular networks is done in a managed way preventing the networks from being
overburdened.
"By overcoming these challenges, we have become the only provider capable of offering bulk-MMS delivery. As far as we
are aware, it is a world first as well," Groenewald says.
After beginning with sending several thousand MMS a month, volumes over the past 18 months have grown to the delivery
of multi-millions of MMS each month, with the networks able to send as many as 1.25 million MMS per day.
Target markets
MMS advertising can be used across a host of industries, Groenewald says. Multimedia Solutions has designed and sent
out MMS for clients in the automotive, financial, cellular, FMCG and eventing industries.
MMS can be used to send invites, notify consumers of promotions or offer them discounts on selected items. In addition, the
possibility of ticketing with bar codes is being explored.
"At events we run billboards whereby visitors can take pictures and MMS them to a large screen. MMS also works as a
great educational tool across industries because of its ability to show consumers information visually, backed by a voice-over
and music.
"Over the festive season in particular we'll be doing a substantial amount of deliveries for companies wanting to get their
message out to consumers looking for the perfect gift for their loved ones," he says.
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