SA ads to mobile

Advertisers have targeted mxit to reach South Africans 

The mobile phone has now become the answer to advertising. Mobile advertising is reaching far greater audiences, as the number of mobile phone subscriptions has predicted to reach 5 billion this year. Advertising companies are turning to the mobile phones for a better chance of consumers clicking on their advertisement. In Japan, already 44% of mobile phone owners click on advertisements they receive via their mobile phone.

It is no surprise then, that there is competition between Apple and Google to buy into advertising companies. Contributing Editor at the Search Engine Land, Greg Sterling said, “Apple tries to buy AdMob but Google ‘snatched’ it away”. Apple, however, manages to buy AdMob competitor Quattro Wireless while Google still battles with the US Federal Trade Commission to allow them to merge with AdMob. This competition is just 
an example of how successful mobile advertising has become.

South Africa’s involvement
But while I was thinking about the great influx of advertisement targeted at the mobile phone and the ongoing battle between Google and Apple, I started to think about South African's and their involvement in mobile advertising.

‘Til death do us part

                               

                                   

The mobile phone has come a long way since the humble telephone. For many, the mobile phone is an extension of their lives and few, including me, would not leave home without it.

It is the mobile phone’s portability and additional capabilities that make it much more than just a telephone. With satellite communication and ‘international roaming’, it is now possible for mobile phone users to communicate with people virtually anywhere in the world either by phoning them, text messaging them. People can even access the internet and send a message via e-mail or a social network service such as Facebook or Twitter.

There are many more applications which make the mobile phone a must-have item in today’s world. Your mobile phone can provide you with a handy camera or a music player, a radio or GPS, not to mention a calculator, diary, alarm clock and a source of endless information via Google. It is also a valuable source of entertainment as mobile users can download games and play for as long as their battery lasts.