Ad-supported MVNO Blyk premieres in U.K.
Blyk, the ad-supported MVNO first announced in March by co-founders Pekka Ala-Pietilä and Antti Öhrling, officially launched its U.K. service via the Orange mobile network. The invitation-only MVNO targets subscribers between the ages of 16 and 24, promising free airtime and text services in exchange for viewing ads geared to the youth demographic. Blyk's launch follows months of user group studies and live user trials--subscribers must answer profile questions and agree to ongoing SMS polling during membership to enable brands to pinpoint their advertising efforts to their consumer behaviors. "We have spent the last year developing a unique, robust advertising content engine and whilst the technology we are using is incredibly advanced, the main premise of Blyk is driven by three basic principles--ease of use, interaction and relevance of the communications," said former Nokia president Ala-Pietilä in a prepared statement.
For more on the Blyk launch:
- read this release
Related articles:
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Blyk hitting right notes with ad-funded MVNO, but faces challenges
Ex-Nokia president launching ad-funded MVNO
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Comments
Posted by Patrick Parodi, CMO at Amobee | September 25, 2007 - 2:40pm
Blyk will test the level of consumer acceptance for mobile advertising. I am concerned that a model based on advertising pushed to users may be too intrusive for what is quickly becoming the most personal media ever created. Making the ad-impression relevant and contextual will be the key to unlocking this billion dollar industry and will require intimate involvement of mobile operators who are most in control of the mobile advertising experience.
