Marketing On Cell phones: Boon or Bane?

Marketers said they were excited about the prospect of eventually using cell phones to send advertising to consumers based on their location. Cell phone – based marketing, said Laura Marriot , executive director of the Mobile Marketing Association, could be ” the silver bullet we’ve been looking for in advertising for a long time.

For now, mobile marketing is still starting. Marketers have already started to send simple text ads to cell phone screens when consumers use web browsers on their phones to visit certain Internet sites. Others urge customers to use their phones to send text messages to advertisers to receive special offers. It is part of a broader plan by marketers to create a new generation of ” up close and personal” ads by delivering video, audio, banner displays and text clips over a device that is always on and carried everywhere.

But advertising on cell phones pose serious concerns too. Consumers advocacy groups say: “This is advertising right in your face.” By low, carriers are not allowed to divulge information on a subscriber’s location unless that individual gives permission. The privacy issue could also make phone ads widely disliked and force carriers to use then cautiously. Another limiting factor is phone technology, only a small fraction of phones can play video, though many can use browsers to surf the web and display some content.