Get paid to listen to ads on mobile, if you want

Mumbai: Two innovations in the telecom marketing space in recent times is getting paid for receiving incoming calls, and now, getting paid to listen to advertisements on your mobile phone, whenever you dial out.

Chennai-based Airvoice Infocomm claims to have applied for a patent for its technology, which is capable of playing voice advertisement to customers who dial out from the mobile phones. They are now mulling ways to monetise this model in a way converse to Virgin Mobile's campaign that pays customers 10 paise per minute for receiving an incoming call.

Airvoice Infocomm says its technology that will play voice-ads of around 10-20 seconds each, till a call gets connected. The caller will get paid for listening to the ad, or for allowing it to be played.

Airvoice CEO R Ayyappan says the company hasn't yet finalises a revenue-sharing model with telecom service providers, nor has it figured out the pricing for advertisers. Needless to say, it remains to be seen, how much each user will be paid for listening to a voice ad.

The company is said to be in final-stage talks with Bharti Airtel. He insists that the technology is non-intrusive, as it plays ads only when the user expresses his willingness to be subject to advertising and subscribes to the service. Reports say the first rollout would happen in Tamil Nadu by August 2008.

For advertisers, both the numbers and the possibilities are mouthwatering, with 250 million cellphone subscribers, and the subscriber base set to double by 2010. Moreover, the medium allows advertisers and media planners a ''direct access'' to this targeted medium of advertising, virtually guaranteeing exclusive and focused attention from the listener.