Startup Unlockd rolls out new service offering free data to people viewing ads on their phones
Lebara Mobile is rolling out a new service which allows customers to top up their credit by watching ads when they unlock the homescreen on their phones.
The technology has been licensed from Australian-founded startup Unlockd, which hopes to attract around 100,000 local user by the end of the year and already has Network Ten, Vice, Southern Cross Austereo and the Weekly Review signed on as launch partners.
It works by serving either an interstitial ad or relevant piece of content to the customer every third time they unlock their device, with CEO Matt Berriman telling Mumbrella testing had shown they had click throughs around two to three times greater than average with the ad units.
If you keep seeing Catch of the Day ads users will cancel as fast as they sign up 😉
Great idea,
good luck to all involved
Great idea. Good luck to them!
“We did quite a bit of research with Nielsen and 40 per cent of people said every time they unlocked their phone they’d like to see relevant content…”
Maybe, but I don’t think by this they meant they’d like to see advertising (relevant or not) when they unlock their phone
smsfrog 2016 version
I say good luck to them. They are breaking new ground here, and everyone has an opinion about how successful this will be. Only time will tell as to whether this business model will be successful.
I do remember being lectured by a director of a global Telco many years ago about what a silly idea mobile originated SMS would be. His view was “why on earth would someone want to fiddle around sending a text message to someone when you could just call them…” It did not sound an unreasonable argument in 1993.
So we will just have to wait and see with the Unlock-d model.
‘If it’s free, you’re the product.’
Nice way to capture a shit load of personal data. Wonder if the average customer knows what they’re really opting into.
Kinda operation that would be illegal in Europe, but no doubt the bogans will love it.
I think if you ever needed proof that ‘a play’ of content is NOT equal to a viewer than this is it. Odds on people will put the phone down, do something else productive, and pick up the credits.