In Japan, about 18.7 million users receive wireless Web content under the i-mode protocol. The U.S. has been slow to adopt wireless Web technology, in part because of the six or seven interoperable wireless standards. Colo. The company handed out 1,000 free, WAP-enabled phones, then pushed a minimum of three advertising messages to users each day. SkyGo Chief Executive Daren Tsui says the trial consisted of interactive branding ads. Kentucky Fried Chicken, for instance, ran trivia games in which the correct answer to the day's question resulted in a coupon for a free drink with a chicken sandwich.
People think it is just cramming banner ads onto the phones.
But there is a lot of consumer participation. Tsui says response to the test, which ended Jan. 31, was favorable. Evan Grossman, a senior vice president at HookMedia, which manages advertising across all forms of digital media, is considerably more skeptical about the promise of m-commerce. At some point, I think you have solutions without problems. SkyGo would not release any cost data for its test.