Pair expecting commercial break
Vodafone and Yahoo! have formed a strategic alliance to bring mobile advertising business to mobile phones in the UK – a market in which Yahoo! will become Vodafone’s exclusive display advertising partner. The duo plan to roll out the initiative in the UK in the first half of 2007.
As part of the deal, Yahoo! will use the latest technology to provide a variety of mobile advertising formats across Vodafone’s services, while Yahoo!’s sales force and technology team will work with Vodafone to derive benefit from mobile’s ‘unique’ advertising opportunities while delivering the ‘best possible experience for both consumers and advertisers’.
Under the venture, customers who agree to accept carefully targeted display advertisements can expect to enjoy savings on certain Vodafone services – a proposition which could extend to key Vodafone mobile assets including the Vodafone live! portal, games, television and picture messaging services.
Nick Read, chief executive of Vodafone UK said: “Since we announced our intention to develop revenue from mobile advertising as part of our mobile plus strategy unveiled in May, we have carried out extensive customer trials. We will now use the experience to determine with Yahoo! how best to ensure customers, who choose to receive targeted messages, get better value as well as a richer mobile experience. This will also ensure that advertisers are given a compelling proposition.”
Marco Boerries, senior vice president of Yahoo! said: “This partnership demonstrates Yahoo!’s continued focus on extending our leadership in display advertising across multiple platforms. We are excited to work with a global leader such as Vodafone to help us define the emerging world of mobile advertising and create superior experiences that deliver the most value to advertisers and mobile users alike.”