What is Mobile Marketing?
Mobile Marketing is the use of the mobile medium as a communications and entertainment channel between a brand and an end-user. It is a new addition to the media mix, with great opportunities for direct interaction with customers and cost-effective data collection.

Why Mobile Marketing?

Interactivity - Possible to engage the consumer in a dialogue

Anywhere/Anytime - Mobile is always in the pocket

High reach - Over 100 million mobile subscribers in Kenya.

Personal - Highly effective as communication to an individual

Viral - Fun factor allows for epidemic phenomenon

Targeted - Specific message can be conveyed based on the consumer profile

Digital - A medium allowing for deep campaign analysis

Cost - Significantly cheaper than other media

Mobile messaging provides a cost effective means to engage a customer and build a long-term relationship.


Mobile Marketing Applications

• Product launch

• Sales promotion

• Promotions

• Brand awareness

• Event promotion

• Interactive TV

• Location based marketing campaigns

• Mobile coupons

• Market research

• Feedback

• Contests



• Loyalty programme

Bouquet of mobile messaging Services

URBAN IT provides end-to-end services required to execute a mobile marketing campaign. The services can be classified as:

Targeted Marketing

Custom text and picture messages depending on the user profile are pushed to the target audience. Costs involved are the costs of the lists (you may have your own lists) plus the costs for sending the message. Messages can be created and pushed on the basis of pre-configured business rules.

Short-code services


A 4 digit number accessible by subscribers of any mobile operator is used to run campaigns, receive response from consumers and generate an opt-in list. Used when the campaign is targeted at prospective customers and/or the recall value is important.

Long-code services

A 10 digit virtual/real mobile number which has to be rented out from an operator - work across all operators but cheaper than the Short Code. Has lower recall but potential for high usage in a closed user environment e.g. to interact with members of a loyalty card scheme.

Mobile Marketing Case Studies

A leading Radio Channel


Scenario: The Credit Card Company wished to increase sales by asking for referrals.


Solution: They used two way messaging services of URBAN IT, with Long Code option, sent SMS to customers asking to send mobile numbers of referrals.


Benefits: The customer generated a huge database of potential customers which resulted in higher sales.

Top Credit Company


Scenario: The channel wanted to use mobile marketing as a media to enhance interactivity and analyse their listener-ship patterns to arrive at rating of their programmes.


Solution: URBAN IT provided a Short Code based messaging Platform and the radio channel ran the campaign successfully.


Benefits: The response was overwhelming and crossed 5 million hits in 15 days. The channel arrived at focussed rating of their programs so as to charge differential rates from the advertisers.