Ringback tones are a growing trend among mobile marketers, providing a unique channel to insert a brand’s message, and wireless carriers are beginning to take notice with numerous partnerships and launches happening in the space.
In leveraging the growing trend, LiveWire Mobile today announced the launch of its commercial “advertising ringback tone service,” aimed squarely at wireless carriers. Dubbed “RingSpot,” the new fully opt-in service allows mobile operators to replace the ring callers hear with “short and clever marketing messages” delivered by national advertisers, non-profits and local merchants.
The service enables callers to engage with an ad by pressing a button to receive more information after the call via a text message, made possible by LiveWire’s underlying “MyCaller” platform which also includes “Ad Stations” to allow operators to develop rotating advertising spots and target each channel to a particular group of subscribers based on demographics or time of day to keep things relevant.
Ringback tone solutions, especially ones specifically targeted at wireless carriers are further attempts to help them cash-in on the mobile marketing craze, in which they’ve largely been resistant to in the past. The concept of ringback tones have gotten so popular that it prompted the Mobile Marketing Association (in association with LiveWire) to develop a new Whitepaper and guidelines to those utilizing the unique channel for messaging. Whether long-term consumer acceptance will prevail is yet to be seen, but the segment will likely see a lot of development in the near future.
