Mobile Phone Subscribers Support Incentive-Based Advertising

A new report has found that about one-quarter (26%) of current mobile phone subscribers say they would be willing to watch advertising on their cell phone if in return they were to receive free applications for their phone. Smaller numbers (7%) of wireless subscribers say they would be interested in receiving promotional text messages if they were relevant.

"This seven percent 'coalition of the willing' represents a huge market given the fact that there over 200 million cell phones in the United States. Wireless Service Providers need to balance the value of advertising revenue with the potential of irritating their subscriber base which could potentially increase churn," said Joe Porus, Vice President and Chief Architect for Harris Interactive.

These are some of the results of a nationwide online survey of 1,125 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Interactive between August 9 and 14, 2006.

Advertising on cell phones is yet another sign that wireless communications is changing the nation's social fabric and the way people communicate. The survey found that 38 percent of wireless subscribers say they now consider wireless to be their primary form of communication and one in three (36%) believes that cell phone service is more personal and direct than land line telephone service.

Of note, in April 2005, one in 10 (9%) U.S. adults said that they had abandoned their wireline (landline) telephone service completely in favor of using their wireless phone exclusively. At that time, another five percent said that they were seriously considering this and would switch within a year and forty-seven percent said that they were somewhat considering it.

Joe Porus further comments, "Ma Bell could become a name for Trivial Pursuit

Posted to the site on 25th October 2006