SMS GupShup, Asia's largest mobile social networks with over 30 million users, announces today that over 150 advertisers have run campaigns on its network. Ranging from global brands to regional and national organizations, companies like eBay India, ICICI, Pepsi, Airtel and Tata are all experiencing positive results from connecting with an audience previously unreachable through any other digital medium.
Mobile communities are a powerful way for brands to engage their customers on an ongoing basis, as well as increase the customer base through viral growth. Engagement drives loyalty, converting customers into advocates, driving repeats & referrals- which can be far more effective than regular advertising. Brands can get direct feedback from their customers as well as inform, interact and transact with them. With nearly 600 million mobile subscribers in India, the mobile medium offers a new, previously unavailable, way to reach the vast mass-market of consumers.
While eBay has been using various other mobile platforms in India, SMS GupShup has proven to be a strong partner to reach new consumers: "Advertising on SMS GupShup provides us with an opportunity to reach out to India's large and fast growing mobile phone user base. Our recent Valentine's day and IPL Merchandise campaign got a great response with 20,000 subscribers joining the eBay India mobile community", states Director of Marketing for eBay India, Mr. Muralikrishnan B. To propel their popularity and to further seed more users, eBay is renewing and increasing their marketing programs with SMS GupShup moving forward.
Turner Imagine, a leading general entertainment channel, used SMS GupShup to increase TRPs of their reality shows by driving viewer engagement. Ankit Desai, Media Manager adds, "We use mobile advertising to drive tune-in for our new shows. With a massive part of our viewers in the 15-24 year old bracket who happen to be very mobile savvy, this is a good way to reach out them. We've partnered with SMS GupShup for several launches now, impressed by the reach of their community."
UTI Mutual Fund has built a mobile community of over half a million users on SMS GupShup, where it provides general investment advice and selective financial market updates. Jaideep Bhattacharya, Chief Marketing Officer at UTI Mutual Fund, says, "Mobile is an important channel for us; we've built and grown a community of existing and prospective customers on SMS GupShup, and engage them through product updates and special offers, as well as interactive help on SMS. Advertising on SMS channels also integrates well with other media through a call-to-action such as SMS or callback on a given number."
Recently, Pepsi launched a large customer engagement program across India with SMS GupShup as a cornerstone of their digital efforts. SMS GupShup created a mobile community that quickly gained 60,000 members - making this one of the fastest customer acquisition programs on mobile in India.
TATA Jagruti, a unique program to awaken the entrepreneurial spirit in the youth of India via a train ride to meet the local entrepreneurs across the country, tapped GupShup for a mobile engagement program. The community grew to over 25,000 Indian youth who followed the journey, all via their mobile devices, getting regular updates about the 'yatra.' TATA Jagruti also posted their anthem and trip pictures to engage the community further.
Other brand advertisers on the network include Microsoft, Cadbury, Nokia, Ford, Puma, Maybelline, Dell, Kingfisher, Sun Microsystems and ING Financial. Brands run SMS ads and create mobile communities, similar to fan sites that appear on traditional web-based social networks.
"For brands looking to engage with the consumer in emerging markets, SMS GupShup has become of one of the most exciting, effective and measurable mediums" states SMS GupShup CEO Beerud Sheth. "Just like it's essential for every brand to have a website in the western markets, it's essential for every brand to have a mobile community in the emerging markets – it is simply the only way to engage with billions of consumers."
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