Ads Infiltrate Mobile Phones
Modern technology has granted corporations unprecedented access into the personal lives of consumers. Through their discretion, public awareness and by acts of government, privacy standards have been implemented to protect a wary public from the prying eyes of profiteers. Even still, many privacy advocates point out that there is cause for alarm. For many users, the boundaries were convenience morphs with an intrusion of privacy may have dissolved.
Today at The Nokia Connection 2001, the company announced its mPlatform Advertising solution, which is compatible with current as well as future generations of mobile handsets and PDAs. It will be bundled with Nokia mPlatform Solution, middleware offered to operators and service providers who in turn will have access to a new revenue stream. Advertisers will be able to utilize text, graphics, streaming media, and video clips to present their offerings to users of mobile Internet services.
Strikingly, mPlatform also allows the same advertisers to be "location aware," meaning the exact location of a customer will be used to pin-point the focus of advertisements. In the today's press release, Nokia Director of Marketing Timo Poikolainen announced, "Mobile advertising will represent an excellent and unique opportunity for one-to-one marketing. Mobile devices which will be both location and context-aware will help promoters to reach consumers at the right time in the right place, creating an opportunity for immediate reaction, purchase or contact." However, Nokia does not demonstrate a total neglect for anonymity.
All advertising will be subscription based, preventing users from being bombarded with a constant stream of ads. Information will be provided by customers, and all ad content catered toward a user's personal preferences. Nokia provided the example of a customer being able to check up on coming attractions at a local movie theater, watch trailers, and then buy a ticket to the flick that they fancy. According to Nokia, "mPlatform Advertising will enable location and context-aware ads according to users' personal interests and hobbies." Nokia is a founding member of the Wireless advertising Association which regulates practices and defines guidelines for wireless platforms.
Nokia also justifies their move by pointing out the benefits the technology offers to consumers. For example, operators and service providers can reduce the cost of airtime and overall service fees by offering sponsored mobile services. The question remains whether customers will want "sponsored" services at the cost of advertising, and what backlash may arise against the business practices of mobile providers who now know your every move.
Nokia could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.