Blyk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | Helsinki, Finland |
| Headquarters |  Helsinki, Finland |
| Area served | Great Britain |
| Key people | Pekka Ala-Pietilä |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Website | www.blyk.co.uk |
Blyk (pronounced:blɪk) is a free mobile phone network in the United Kingdom.
Blyk is the first free mobile network in the United Kingdom funded by advertising, and is targeted exclusively for 16-24 year olds. Users signing up to the network will receive advertising messages on their mobiles, and in return are given a monthly allowance worth £15.
Contents |
[edit] History
Blyk is the brainchild of two Finns, Pekka Ala-Pietilä (formerly president of Nokia) and Antti Öhrling (chairman of the Contra advertising group). Its headquarters are in Helsinki but it also has an office in London. In October 2007, Shaun Gregory was appointed UK CEO and resigned on January 9 2009 due to personal reasons. It is unclear whether he has a job to go to according to Marketing Week [1]. Antti Ohrling took over as UK CEO.
Before February 2009, the network offered 43 free minutes and 217 free texts to be used each month. Balances were reset after 30 days, so unused credit did not roll over. If the balance was used up before the monthly reset, users could pay 15p/min and 10p/text; thus, the free credit was worth £28.15.
In February 2009, the rates were changed to 24p/min and 8p/text. At this level, the free balance would have been worth £27.68/month. However, the system was also altered so that users' balances now reset to £15.00 every month. This can be spent on any combination of calls, texts, picture messages and data. Some people think this was because the company was making cutbacks due to the credit crunch.
[edit] Reaction
The response from the British press towards Blyk has, so far, placed its emphasis on debating the potential effectiveness of mobile-based advertising, with concerns that it may prove intrusive in a similar manner to pop-ups on websites or spam email. The Guardian commented that "advertisers will have to be careful not to annoy their new users with the mobile equivalent of spam"[1] , with Channel 4 stating that the fact that "you have to suffer the ads" was the network's downside.[2] Tech Digest also noted that if advertisers don't embrace the interactivity offered by the network, they may have to resort to spam.[3]
Channel 4's technology correspondent Benjamin Cohen also raised the issue that targeting individuals with advertising for brands such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola could open up a debate about childhood obesity.
Other sources, however, have praised the network's approach to its adverts, whereby users can respond to messages they receive free-of-charge to receive a more personal service. SMS Text News stated that this aspect of the network "may well be extremely welcome"[4], and The Times reported that certain analysts believe that Blyk "could provide a boost to the nascent market in mobile marketing".[5]
Ultimately the future possibilities of mobile advertising remain to be seen, but the success or failure of Blyk will likely be a key event in the development of the medium.
[edit] Market
Blyk is distinguished by the age restriction that it operates for its membership. The 16-24 age range is exclusive and applied by means of ID checks with several national databases during sign up. Members who join before turning 25 are not removed from the network when they do so, but are unable to rejoin if they leave.
Membership is by invitation only, which are available via special promotions and from existing members, in previous months you were able to get an invitation by sending the word "JOIN" to 82595 from a UK mobile phone, but this method of joining is no longer available. Potential members join the network via its website. As part of the process they are asked a range of profiling questions. Blyk uses the information it gathers to target them with relevant advertising messages at a rate of up to 6 a day. On 25 Sep 2007 it was reported by telegraph.co.uk that the company has so far secured 44 brands for its service, including Coca-Cola, NatWest, Boots Group and Mastercard.[6]
If Blyk finds its market in the UK there are plans for it to become pan-European over the coming years, taking its service to as many as 40 million 16-24 year old Europeans.
On April 24, 2008 Blyk announced that they had reached their twelve month target of 100,000 clients six months ahead of schedule.[7] Since around March 2009 the company has stopped sending invite codes to its users, this may continue or they may start sending new invite codes to customers and expand the brand.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ "Teens to get free mobile calls - with a catch", The Guardian, 26 Mar 2007.
- ^ "Blyk offers free mobile calls", www.channel4.co.uk, 25 Sep 2007.
- ^ "Analysis: Blyk hitting right notes with ad-funded MVNO, but faces challenges", Tech Digest, 24 Sep 2007.
- ^ "Blyk arrives ready to serve the UK's 16-24 year olds", SMS Text News, 25 Sep 2007.
- ^ "Blyk's 'free' phone targets teens to twenties", The Times, 24 Sep 2007.
- ^ "Blyk starts first free mobile phone service", www.telegraph.co.uk, 25 Sep 2007.
- ^ "Ad-funded telco reaches 100,000 clients in Britain", Reuters, 24 April 2008.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official UK website
- Official sign up website
- Antti Öhrling and Jonathan MacDonald share the story and vision behind Blyk video
- Launch press conference
|
|||||||||||
