UK operator 3 is moving into viral marketing…sort of. Viral marketer Kontraband has tapped 3G video specialist Sceneworx to do the deal, which initially involves allowing users to “dial a dedicated five digit short code to access cutting edge content including virals, animations, home movies and funny ads”. The next stage will involve adding a “send to a friend” link to the content.
This seems to be a testbed of the viral marketing strategy, since Kontraband is still exploring the possibility of promoting “branded virals”.
Still, the rationale behind the strategy is strong: “Mobile is a fantastic opportunity for promoting branded content. Clients who already use the internet for seeding virals can now speak to an audience that is becoming increasingly hard to reach.” According to Spalding, 3’s largest user base is teenagers, who are spending a lot less time in front of the TV and more and more time on their 3G mobile phones.”
Interestingly, another eventual aim is to allow user generated content to be submitted, although whether this is intended as general content or part of the viral marketing isn’t made clear. User generated viral marketing would be a marketers dream…
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