MobUser

Anyone involved in the Internet in the early ’90s will recall that companies tried to charge for online content and ultimately failed. Free content wins! Companies like Yahoo!, Google, and Double-Click turned the notion of “free” content into a money making machine for anyone willing to insert advertising into their sites. In fact users freely accept advertising with their content. So this begs the question, “How will free mobile content get monetized?”

Today’s internet advertising model doesn’t work for devices …
Google is starting to support their adSense offering inside of WAP sites and xHTML MP sites. This is encouraging if it were not for the fact that traditional adWords and banner “call-to-actions” are less relevant on a mobile device. It is not likely that you will see an adWord while reading a blog on your phone and provide all your credit card information to purchase something.

What does effective advertising look like on a mobile device?
The best way to think about advertising on a device is to consider what the user is willing to do … in essence what call-to-action are they likely to engage in when they see an advertisement in their mobile content?

When we developed mWorks we did so with the belief that a user will only tolerate paying for mobile content up to a point and that in order to succeed in the mobile industry we would have to provide a solution that would enable users to get content for free and for content developers to still make money. Using mWorks, content developers can freely create a mobile applications that gives advertisers full advantage to provide mobile-appropriate advertising. Advertisers, using the mWorks platform can create fully interactive advertising content that users can engage in ways that make sense for a mobile device.

For example, using mWorks, advertisers can create call-to-actions that:

• Dial a phone number
• Find location and/or get directions
• Fill out survey
• Register for sweepstakes
• Generate a coupon

Free always wins
The future of mobile content is in its ability to be consumed freely by users. Applications more so that mobile web sites, are the best way to provided a functional and usable experience. The logical conclusion is that mobile application must be able to support mobile-appropriate advertising.