Alcatel-Lucent and 1020 Placecast have joined up to deliver a crossplatform location-based mobile advertising service, hosted by Alcatel-Lucent, to network providers and brands that pushes location-relevant brand messaging and advertisements to mobile customers when and where they want them.
With mobile advertising expected to reach nearly $5 billion in U.S. service provider revenue by 2011, according to Heavy Reading Research, Alcatel-Lucent and 1020 Placecast see a promising opportunity for the integrated service.
1020 Placecast’s ad engine weaves location information into relevant messages that are pushed to consumers' mobile devices in SMS and MMS formats. Alcatel-Lucent’s Geographic Messaging Services Platform (GMSP) tracks opt-in subscribers’ locations for service providers and pushes mobile content to subscribers when and where it is appropriate. The partners say that the new service can support millions of subscribers.
For example, the service lets mobile service providers offer consumers opt-in services to receive mobile messages offering discounts at a favorite retailer that's on the route to work. Messages can include the store address, phone number, proximity to the customer and other brand- and carrier-developed content.
The turnkey service, available in North American, delivers messages and advertisements to any mobile device and screen and requires no upfront capital investment by service providers. Subscribers simply sign up and choose the messages and offers they want to receive. Their privacy is protected because their exact location is never revealed — only the fact that they have entered a designated geographical area.
