Celltick, the company which uses cell broadcast and point to point connectivity to push content via an idle screen client on the mobile desktop, is expanding its product portfolio to include a Direct to Consumer (D2C) offering based on point to point distribution.
Stephen Dunford, Celltick ceo, said that the point-to-point solution using SMS as the delivery tool for the client could lead to viral distribution of the client, allowing content providers and brand owners to reach subscribers directly. Users will need a Symbian phone at the moment, with Windows Live capability and other Open OS I te pipeline, Dunford said.
Previously Celltick has distributed its client as an applet on the SIM card, but it hopes that using SMS as the distribution method will increase the addressable market, as well as improve the user experience. In one trial in the middle east, although 70 users were signed up initially,149 people had registered for the client by the end of the trial, proving that users were forwarding the client on to their friends.
Dunford said that although there has been much talk of mobile advertising, the ecosystem has not formed quickly enough. Part of the reason for that is that the WAP experience is not dynamic enough, Celltick argues. Using the idle screen to push targeted content improves response rates significantly, something which should attract advertisers to serve ads against content he user has opted into. Using the D2C model increased responsiveness and click through rates even further, the company claimed.
Celltick is forming and seeking partnerships with large media agencies to give brands access to the service. It also argues that operators themselves could use the service to act as D2C players in their rivals’ territories.
Previously Celltick’s proposed model was to licence its technology to operators, who then charged users to access certain content, once they had responded to an intital ticker on the idle screen. The company has now moved to a managed services model, opening up content on a revenue share basis on additional transactions and advertising. This D2C model takes that a step further, with the company now seeking partnerships with media agencies and large brands direct.