So the pieces have come together for how Orange plans to use its relationship with Blyk, the European company that once ran a “free” ad-supported mobile service for 16-24 year-olds but turned away from the free model after failing to make it work financially. The UK mobile operator today announced Orange Shots, an SMS/MMS-based advertising service “powered by Blyk.”
Gone is the age restriction and gone too is the free service, though…
While Blyk will provide the technology behind the service, it will be sold through Unanimis, the digital ad agency that Orange bought last August for an undisclosed sum.
Blyk ended its service with a mere 200,000 subscribers on its network – not the critical mass that major brands like to target with their marketing activities. Orange will be starting Shots with an even smaller number: it says ads initially will be sent out to 100,000 people, users “who have opted in to receive contact”.
“New profiles and customer segments will quickly follow, matching Orange’s ambition to significantly grow this audience,” promises Orange in a press release.
But it remains to be seen whether that base will grow, if there is no longer an incentive of free service in exchange for agreeing to receive the advertising. Current Shots recipients are people are on Orange’s Monkey tariff, a pay-as-you-go service that offers 300 free texts and music when a user tops up by £10 ($16) every month.
Blyk always boasted that it had significantly higher response rates for its adverts than the average online or mobile advertiser: typically a 25 percent response rate. Orange says that it has been testing out the service since September and it has found response rates of between 21 and 39 percent. Advertisers to date have included 4Music (Orange’s music partner for the Monkey service), Ubisoft, COI and Snickers.
Blyk continues to offer an own-branded service in the Netherlands, using Vodafone’s network in the country.
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