* SMS 2.0 is an upgrade to the consumer’s default Cellphone SMS (Messaging) application. SMS 2.0 has converged messaging, content and advertising into one seamless application.

* Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest mobile phone operator, is test marketing SMS 2.0 — the world’s first upgrade to the popular SMS application — in and around Delhi in tie-up with the UK-based Affle and MobileOne Ltd. (M1), one of the main operators in Singapore.

* It creates an interactive channel for the non-intrusive delivery of relevant content and advertising on the SMS window. The consumer chooses his interest area, and the latest information is delivered unobtrusively, while he composes or reads an SMS message.

* The mass-media interactive technology is developed by Affle and only two companies the world over have exclusive rights to this nextgen SMS service — the $4.3-billion Airtel and M1 of Singapore.

* For advertisers, it’s a killer application that will ensure their message is carried to an audience that’s all ears for it. SMS 2.0 is an eyeball-assured media where content is free.

HOW DOES IT WORKS:

* As of now, Airtel customers can download and (Read the rest of this story.)

Here is a news for the subscribers of mGinger concept. There is a competition to pay them more for reading advertisements. If you have gone through my earlier post on mGinger SMS pay backs, then you must be aware of the fact that mGinger is paying back its readers 35 paise in all.

Here is another Delhi-based company TechnoApex Softwares which has jumped into this field with its website admad.mobi offering you to pay back upto 51 paise per SMS through a 5 level affiliate model.

But the point is not just this lucrative pay-out structure, but who will gain the critical mass of advertisers and strike a right balance of readers too, so that it can make all of them happy for using their services. As of now, none of these companies are known to be providing with sufficient no. of paid SMS to their registered readers due to lack of advertisers. But perhaps its just the matter of time the things will pick up.

Technorati Tags: SMS, paid SMS, SMS ads, SMS advertising, Mobile, Cellphone, mGinger

The seventh & final book in the Harry Potter series is still not complete by its author J. K. Rowling. But its advance bookings has flooded book publishers and retailers with millions of readers since she announced the date of its release in February,2007. As the released date is approaching fast [21st July,2007, 00:01 Hrs. BST], book-sellers are competing among themselves to offer a hefty discount over its $34.99 list price.

Reports says that online retailer Amazon.com and Wal-Mart Stores have slashed nearly 50% off the book’s $34.99 list price, forcing many independent booksellers to follow suit to stay competitive. Barnes & Noble and Borders Group, the world’s largest booksellers, are selling it at 40% off.

At such prices many booksellers will be forced to forego their profit margins altogether! Question arises:Then why the hell they are into business for???

Well, its an (Read the rest of this story.)

Yesterday, I set a target to promote this blog to a level that it can get around 500 visitors per day within two months time frame. But HOW? Its a big question. For some time now, I was already receiving emails willing to know about how I am going to promote my blog in the coming days. I would like to suggest all of them to go through a white paper on this, produced by a renowned professional blogger Mr. Yaro Starak of Australia. This Blueprint on Blog Profits written by him was emailed to me by one of my friends Ashok Arora when I confronted him with the same question of how to promote my blog to get more visitors.

And I would like to (Read the rest of this story.)

Please note that with immediate effect, I have changed the format of pemalinks to the blog posts to "http://thecenturytimes.com/date/post-title/” format. You all are requested to correct the respective links at your websites pointing to the posts here with this new format. Old links will not be functional any more. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

I’ll be thankful to all of you for the extra efforts you take to do this job. You can always expect an equally responsive action from me in case the requirement arises.

Some three years back, Burger King, a big fast food chain in U.S.A. launched a flash based interactive website to promote its newly launched TenderCrisp Chicken Sandwich & subsequently Spicy TenderCrisp Chicken Sandwich. The website was an instant hit due to its unique creativity and interactivity with the element of little porn and humour. It got around a million hits within 24 hours of its launch and around 15 million hits in the following week. The site’s technology allowed users to type in nearly anything and get a response from the chicken. This viral campaign infact won (Read the rest of this story.)

Today, some brands are taking substantial risk by applying unconventional ways to promote and establish their brands. PEPSI is rolling out 35 different pack designs for the same content in it! In April, the soft-drinks giant kicked off a global campaign that will see its pack designs, which have changed just 10 times in the brand’s 109-year history, will be altered 35 times over the next year.

In the US, Pepsi has gone a step further and will include content created by its customers in the designs. A ‘Design our Pepsi Can’ contest offers consumers the chance to submit designs and judge the work of others, based on a set of criteria drawn up by Pepsi: 30% of the score must relate to the strength of the branding, 30% to creativity and 40% to originality. The winning submission will appear on 500m cans and net $10,000 for the designer. The same model will be soon replicated in the UK too.

Similarly, McDonald’s is (Read the rest of this story.)

Last month my sister sent me a referral link to mGinger - a website with a unique business model of paying to read SMSs on your cellphones. As I don’t use any cellphone connection I just had a look at this website critically. But I found it to be a good and practical business model. mGinger.com, started by three engineers, works on the principle of permission-based marketing. The website was launched on 19th April, 2007 with a beta version and had less than 50 registered members at that time. SMS advertisements which used to irritate cellphone users could turn out to be money-spinners with this Bangalore based website. It will pay to those who willingly register with it to receive advertisements through SMSs at their convenient hours. For each ad received, the mobile phone user gets (Read the rest of this story.)

Tonight will be special for all astro-lovers as one of the rarest event is going to take place in the sky. Today all the nine planets and a few other solar bodies can easily be seen in one night and especially its more important for Delhiites as Nehru Planetarium, the Amateur Astronomers Association, Delhi, and Science Popularisation Association of Communiators and Educators (S.P.A.C.E), are organising a Solar System Marathon for Delhiites. The Solar System Marathon is a (Read the rest of this story.)