Mobile Phone Marketing...Wake Up Telcos

Worldwide telecom companies are busy fighting with each other and investing into Capex / Investment intensive services like IPTV and 3G which would take several years (IPTV will take 4-5 years) to make EBITDA positive leaving free cash flow (FCF) for the time being. Nobody is focusing on what they currently have i.e.large subscriber base. Many money making applications are being developed to harness the same but not everybody is taking care of it. Mobile phone marketing in one among those forgotten gold mines. Discount coupons and vouchers on paper are everywhere but never at hand when needed most. Biggest impediment is the lack of presence on electronic medium and its everywhere accessibility. Only mobile phones foot the bill.

Northern Ireland-based firm, TextStart.com has come up with an excellent way of driving all savings to consumers' mobile phones. TextStart.com sends mobile coupons and vouchers for registered users' favorite local businesses directly to their mobiles in the form of SMS text messages. It i’s completely free and 100% secure - customers simply show the screen in-store to redeem their offer. Subscriber can register for free at website, choose the stores they want to get offers from and stop receiving messages at any time. All sorts of local businesses have signed up to offer the service to their customers and will be sending everything from special offers and promotions to competitions and secret’ un-advertised sales. Each business also has its own unique code that they wi’ll be displaying in their place of business. Customers can add their name to an individual list on the spot by sending that code to 60066.

But will it meet the same fate as Airtel's mCoupons did ? Sometimes back Airtel launched this wonderful value added service (VAS) for its subscribers where they offered cool deals (SMS MCOUPON to 800) in more than 10 cities but it didn't prove to be a killer application. Fault might be with the "understanding customer psyche" or "lack of focus". Lets hope that the TextStart will see the light and whole telecom industry can learn out of that.