Ads were targeted on both a user profile that was set up by the recipient and on the location from which the user asked for a specific message. Around the time that Ericsson was testing in Europe, ValueClick launched its first performance-based wireless initiatives in Japan. We're only charging based on people who respond to offers. SkyGo participants opt in to receive three to six messages a day. While they can indicate their interests and which types of messages they want to receive, they do not have to open and read every message.
Participants can also opt to receive more information via e-mail after viewing an ad.
Preliminary results from SkyGo issued in mid-December indicate that 60 percent of participants found the wireless ads valuable, and 27 percent said that they would be likely to switch wireless service providers to receive ads in the future. That would run the risk of becoming a nuisance, and that would undermine the whole process. One company that's beyond the testing stage and is now executing on the delivery of ads is WindWire . The company went live with its product in the fourth quarter of 2000 and has already served more than 5 million wireless ads. The newness of these campaigns seems to be working to the advantage of advertisers, with clickthrough rates averaging 11 to 15 percent, says David Wilson, co-founder and executive VP of WindWire.