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Business Week magazine has launched a portable electronic version of its content called Business Week Mobile Edition, according to a short and sweet news flash on B to B magazine’s online site on September 25th....
The news bulletin states that Business Week launched this service “in response to growing demand” for content on handhelds, including PDAs, mobile phones and small handheld computers.
Thus far, Business Week will be using the “mobi” domain, and is one of the first international publications to do so. Mobile phone users can get the content gratis at www.businessweek.mobi. Obviously, the content will be free of charge since Business Week has signed up Microsoft Windows Mobile as its “exclusive on-screen advertiser” for a full year.
While many business people will no doubt like having Business Week content available to them via their cell phones at any time, I wonder how many will like being bombarded by advertising on their indispensable communication devices? Mobile phones today, and tomorrow? In our firm’s research, we are well aware of the burgeoning mobile phone advertising industry vis-a-vis teens and young adults, since this is one of their favorite communications platforms.
However, for adults and business people: can we ever escape the infamous commercial? Now advertising will follow us wherever we go in our business travels. Should marketers target business people with advertising along with the downloads of “free” news and business content?
What say all of you to this development? Yea or nay?
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Comments
Hi Ted,
This post raises a crucial new issue in marketing. I find it interesting that both Ted and Allison Gower are discussing it at the same time on the Marketing Profs site; the former on the blog, and the latter in this week's newsletter:http://www.marketingprofs.com/6/gower1.asp. Thanks for bringing this to the marketing discussion, Ted and Allison!
Posted by: Claire Ratushny | 10.18.06
Ted,
The world is changing, and I'm not entirely pleased by it. But perhaps I am not the audience (adults and business people) for www.businessweek.mobi.
Although I suspect there are adults and business people who will subscribe, I cannot imagine most of us seeking one more distraction in our daily lives. I check BusinessWeek online daily, but at my convenience and uninterrupted by advertising, which I can ignore.
I wonder what others think, but if I were in charge of www.businessweek.mobi, I would be "well aware of the burgeoning mobile phone advertising industry vis-à-vis teens and young adults, since this is one of their favorite communications platforms." And that would be my target audience, and my content would grow up as my audience did.
Lewis
Posted by: Lewis Green | 10.18.06