New York Times – December 26, 2006:
VERIZON WIRELESS, among the nation’s most widely advertised brands, is poised to become the advertising medium itself.
Beginning early next year, Verizon Wireless will allow placement of banner advertisements on news, weather, sports and other Internet sites that users visit and display on their mobile phones, company executives said.
Numerous factors have limited the growth of cellphone advertising…
Carriers have also been concerned about annoying cellphone users with obtrusive marketing messages.
“What we don’t want to do is repeat the mistakes of the Internet — spam, interstitials, pop-ups,” Mr. Harrobin said. Bored, offended or inconvenienced consumers could quickly blame Verizon and leave for another service, hurting the wireless carrier’s core business and reducing its monthly subscription fees.
This is great, ads on cell phones might mean that we can finally start seeing some real applications and content made for the mobile phone
Excactly ! I just had a post on this. First they lock down their phones and then force this on you …
Verizon Wireless Moves To Use Ads On Mobile Phones
Yet another reason for those who haven’t dropped verizon yet to do so. They work so hard at having the most annoying ads of any carrier, is it any wonder they’ve resorted to this?
Will their next slogan not be ‘it’s the network’ but ‘it’s the banner ads!’?
#3 – Its a VERY competitive buisness, what one company does the others will as well (unless its in their interest not to). This will spread, and rapidly at that. Dont like it? Consumers dont really have a choice.
#1 has the right of it.
VZW has the capability to detect how fast you are driving and in which direction (when your cell phone is turned on). Soon you’ll get a message that says, “Hey, it looks like you are in a hurry to get home – press 772 and we’ll have a pizza there for you.” Still, Verizon doesn’t suck as bad as MCI did, but they are trying.
To put VZW below any other provider is a process in futility: If one is making money on something, the others are sure to follow.
Don’t get to concerned, once someone gets hurt or killed by a distracting cellphone ad while doing something that requires attention, like driving, this practice will get sued into oblivion.
P.S. No word yet if said advertising will lower the monthly bill?
#4: Consumers do have a choice; I cancelled my DirecTV subscription because I refuse to watch commercials on a connection I’m paying for. I don’t mind the commercials on broadcast TV, they pay the bills instead of me.
Unlike Internet sites, cell phone companies don’t need to splash your phone with advertising in order to stay in business. It would be prudent for other providers to see the reaction Verizon’s tiggers from its customers before jumping onto the bandwagon.
Phones exist within our personal space. Having a company generate revenue by intruding within that space coud lead to a serious backlash. It took more than a decade before we got congress to deal with telemarketers; Verizon’s customers only need to wait until the contract expires.
If my phone is going to get splashed with ads, the cost of usage per month better go down like $30. It’s overpriced to use a cell phone now as it is.
$30 is overpriced too… but whatever…
In reference to #1 “This is great, ads on cell phones might mean that we can finally start seeing some real applications and content made for the mobile phone”
Applications and content…???
WTF are you talking about?
Aside from dialing a number having someone answer the phone, I still don’t understand what the other possible applications of a cell phone actually are (that is to say USEFUL applications)
It’s a phone…
Only App, I see them making is a BOT or virus.