Kumar says mobile advertising has been at the forefront of many people's minds a while now, "In the last few years, every year (has been) the 'Year of mobile advertising'," he said. But, he says signs point to critical mass having been achieved, including 20 million subscribers having adopted Affle's SMS 2.0 ad-supported technology.
Much of the demand for ad-support, he explains, is in high volume markets like India and Indonesia, where standard feature phones still dominate. Users are accepting mobile advertising in exchange for upgraded functionality around their primary communication needs like SMS.
Kumar says blending advertising or branded content into a user's personal communication - without interrupting or intruding on that conversation was always a difficult task. But with mobile devices now used for much more data-related services, as well as watching video content or viewing photos, the opprtunities for non-intrusive advertising have significantly grown.
He also highlights the evolution of technology, allowing users to now buy next generation devices at price-points lower than their first voice-and-SMS-only devices.
The Singapore-based company says it approaches this growing industry with a unique philosophy. "For us, the user comes before the mobile advertiser does," Kumar says. "That's what makes a successful media."
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