Nokia: Mobile users are OK with receiving SpaSMS

Now that the "emailmarketing" phase has putered out as companies discover that the flooding of mailboxes wih useless and untargeted salespitches simply agitate people, Nokia paid to have some reseach done on if people would mind receiving marketing messages on their phones via SMS (SpaSMS). Suprise suprise - some people even said they'd like to receive messages!

"Mobile phone users don't mind receiving commercial text messages on their handsets" said by Nokia Corp wedensday. Meanwhile, analysts warn mobile marketing could be headed south, just like e-mail marketing (they catch on fast don't they?).

Users are not only receptive to marketing via SMS (SpaSMS) text messages, but would actively welcome commercial messages if they get something in return, a discount coupon or cheaper service, for example, according the the study Nokia commisioned.

More than 3,300 mobile phone users aged 16 to 45 in 11 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, UK, Sweden, Germany, Japan and Korea were interviewed in mid-2001 for the study done by HPI Research Group.

Eighty-six percent of the respondents said they would accept "some advertising" if it helped keep the cost of mobile services down, while 88 percent said they would not mind coupons sent via SMS. Nearly a third (31 percent) said they would actually welcome coupons on their phone.

Logically the study found that acceptance is subject to conditions. Users want to be able to bypass and filter the messages and decide whether or not to receive messages.

Marketing via SMS is fairly new and early adopters are getting good results, according to analyst firm Forrester Research BV in a report issued late last week. The average response rate is 11 percent, much higher than, for example, online advertising with banners. However, SMS marketing in the long run requires careful planning and marketers shouldn't be overly excited, Forrester cautioned. Marketers should be skeptical, as another marketing channel billed as revolutionary two years ago, e-mail marketing, has now lost its effectiveness.

I'm one of the % who never wants to receive SpaSMS on my mobile phone, even if it does keep the costs down of my monthly bill. What are you?