A new advertising ringback service from LiveWire Mobile is changing the mobile advertising market by offering carriers the opportunity to generate additional revenue and increase customer loyalty. 

Consumers will have the choice to opt- in or out of the service and the ability to earn discounts or rewards from their carriers. The LiveWire Mobile service enables callers to engage with an ad by pressing a button to receive more information after the call via a text message.

?The strategy is two-fold,? said Matthew  Stecker, CEO of LiveWire Mobile, Littleton, MA. ?First the RingSpot service targets customers who like personalization by allowing them to earn direct rewards for playing the ads. 

?The model works like the Google pay-per-click search ad model, depending on how many people call you, you can earn rewards based on volume,? he said. ?The second part of this strategy is an integrated model for carriers. Low-cost carriers can make the advertising ringback a default in order to keep costs down and save customers money.

?For higher end carriers, it?s more about the brand affinity play and offering rewards. Ringback tones have traditionally been music, but with RingSpot, carriers can target a much larger audience. ? 

Available now, RingSpot leverages the underlying MyCaller platform capabilities to bring high-value features to the service including:

? DTMF Call to Action: through the DTMF tones on the mobile phone, callers are able to respond to an ad?s call to action to learn more or have benefits sent directly to their phone or email
? Ad Stations: Operators can develop rotating advertising spots and target each channel to a particular group of subscribers based on demographics or time of day, ensuring that content is fresh and relevant

RingSpot lets carriers increase average revenue per user (ARPU) while offering their customers incentives to subscribe to the advertising ringbacks including free minutes, discounts on monthly bills or credits towards advertisers? products and services.

The service is all about personalization and viral marketing on the device that consumers feel highly connected to.

Overall, the Ringback tone market is growing rapidly around the world due to its extreme popularity with consumers.

Just recently, industry analyst firm IDC predicted that ringback tones may overtake the sale of mobile ringtones sometime this year.

Subscribers to the service enjoy their expanded choice and personalization options including the option to play ? or block ? specific ads or ads in general from designated callers.

They can align with their favorite brands or choose the message they think their callers would like to hear while receiving promotional considerations from their carrier including discounts, premiums and the chance to buy products at a lower cost.

Advertisers gain numerous benefits from the RingSpot service including focused ads that don?t have to compete for consumer attention, uniformity in delivery of ads, format simplicity and critical but anonymous tracking data.

RingSpot is provided by LiveWire?s MyCaller ringback platform.

?RingSpot offers very targeted advertising and can broadly target any demographic by age, income and gender as well as by geography,? Mr. Stecker said. ?RingSpot provides a quick networking opportunity and a call to action where callers can push a button during the ad to immediately get more information. 

?This model is very different from traditional advertising because advertisers have to be more creative to engage consumers and not be intrusive,? he said. ?We?ve had success with ads with the MINI car company and are currently working with regional symphony orchestras in Kentucky to promote upcoming events.

?In the near future we plan to work with advertisers during the upcoming election cycle.?