Blyk, the highly anticipated free mobile operator, has
announced future collaborations with some of the worlds big name
brands, including Buena Vista, Coca-Cola, I-play Mobile Gaming, L’Oreal Paris, StepStone and Yell.com.
Primarily
targeting the 16-24 year old age bracket, it will be the first mobile
operating company offering a completely free mobile phone service. The
service will kick off across the UK later this year and if it proves a
success will branch out into the rest of Europe.
Taking a similar approach from YouTube,
Blyk will be solely funded by the advertising revenue it receives,
allowing them the chance to offer a free operating service for its
customers. So striking deals with such big-time companies is certainly
good news for Blyk, and with many more companies to follow suite this
crazy idea could actually work.
For the companies being
featured on Blyk it is an excellent opportunity to connect with the
youth of today, and how better than doing this through their mobile
phones – something most people can’t live without. And with the word
FREE floating around there will be guaranteed interest in the service
full stop.
The way the advertising will work is by targeting
niche audiences via a nifty questionnaire users will have to fill out
before signing up to the service. Using the personal information as a
template, advertisers can then market their products to specific
groups, who will be more likely to respond to adverts that are relevant
to them and their interests.
Antti Öhrling, one of the masterminds behind Blyk elaborates on the adverting prospect of the service:
‘The
fundamental principle is that advertising never interferes with primary
function of the phone. If you do it in the right way, it's not just how
much [advertising] can you tolerate—it's something people find useful
and fun.’
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