More mobile free love

Last year we covered Blyk, which offers select users of its mobile phone service free minutes in exchange for viewing targeted ads. A new Belgian player is offering similar ‘free love’ by paying users cash to watch ads on their cell phones. While Blyk operates as a mobile virtual network operator and offers the free minutes only to those who use its service, however, Pumbby pays cash to users regardless of the mobile network they subscribe to. When users sign up for Pumbby online, they simply indicate which network they use and how many ads they are willing to receive each day, out of a maximum of 10. Pumbby then sends those ads as WAP links via SMS, and for each one that gets displayed, it credits the user’s account with EUR 0.44. The resulting funds can be used to pay the user’s mobile bill, deposited directly into the bank or used toward purchases of DVDs, books or tickets to movies and exhibits. Brussels-based Pumbby’s service just launched last month, but with its cross-operator approach, its prospects are promising. Given that the mobile web is the next frontier for marketing and advertising, you can bet others won’t be far behind…. Spotted by: Jean Friesewinkel