SUBtv Launches MMS To Screen Facility
National youth channel, SUBtv, has announced the launch of a new MMS-to-screen facility offering advertisers another way to reach young audiences, with SMS campaigns possible through the new system.
Students will be able to send an image of up to 150 characters, which will be displayed on the SUBtv plasma screens installed at 85 universities across the UK, reaching 1,6 million students from the new academic year starting in September.
SUBtv believe that the new facility is perfect for advertisiering, with the increasing popularity and advances made in mobile content offering a new platform for a wide range of advertisers, including mobile phones, entertainment channels, fashion, retailers, drinks and finance companies.
Advertisiers could use the technology to run competitions, add branded messages around MMS pictures as a boarder, or use the medium for gorilla advertising.
The user selects the image and an SMS message, both of which are sent to a designated phone number, the messages can be can be published on both a national or local basis, depending on the particualar promotional mechinism required.
Commenting on the new facility, Jason Barrett, business development team at SUBtv said: “This is a really fun and exciting development for SUBtv, since the students are very keen to see themselves and their mates on screen.”
Barret explained how the technology worked saying: “The functionality works twofold, firstly as a content generation, and second as a neat promotional mechanic for our partners, who can benefit from an editorial enviroment that completly engages its audience.”
Jon Kingdon, SUBtv’s creative director added: “The trial was a total success and great fun, this is a dynamic functionality to add to the SUBtv armoury. The students loved the trial, they want their 15 minutes of fame and this definitly counts!”
“We’re so very confident in the appeal of MMS-to-screen that we’re already looking to the next stage – video to screen.”
The service will launch during Freshers Week September 2005 for which SUBtv are in discussions with a number of potential sponsors.
Last month, mobile operator, 3, extended its sponsorship deal with student TV network SUBtv after successfully targeting the typically awkward 19-34 demographic and building strong brand awareness with its video jukebox sponsorship (see SUBtv Brand Impact Sees Sponsor Extend Deal).
The sponsorship deal, announced last year, saw the mobile firm sponsoring SUBtv’s new Video Jukebox service in 65 student union venues nation-wide (see SUBtv Signs 3 For Video Jukebox Sponsorship).