Today saw the public unveiling of the BBC Radio 1 Picture Messaging Day, a project we’ve been working towards for many months.
From the outset, the intention has been to drive a high profile project which will educate and reinforce MMS messaging to a mass market in an entertaining and interactive way. In the same way the MDA helped to propel the growth of SMS text messaging, we now believe the emergence of increasingly sophisticated and affordable devices with intuitive MMS functionality should bring a surge in the use of richer media mobile messaging.
By bringing together the mobile network operators with the BBC to create this one-off free Picture Messaging Day on Friday 11th December, it’s hoped that a new level of public awareness will be generated. Those who might have never sent a picture message will be encouraged to try by their favourite DJs leading up to the event.
It’s an event which also owes much to WIN Plc, who should be thanked for their expert role in providing the technical connectivity and MMS management support.
While the free shortcode for the day is clearly an added incentive for consumer use, the hope is that the raised awareness and a potentially surprisingly smooth user experience will generate an uptake in the use of picture and MMS messaging.
Our launch of the getsettings.org website is meant to ensure that this uptake is not confined to those with the latest handsets. There’s a significant population of dated handsets in circulation and SIM only contracts which are not married to specific devices. Catering for mobiles which may not be properly configured to send MMS messages, the new website aggregates settings information across mobile network operators, resellers and handset manufacturers to offer consumers easily discoverable access to the relevant information.
Complementing truly dynamic, interactive and creative Radio 1 online content is our getsettings.org website. Intially launched to support the BBC Picture Messaging Day on Friday the 11th, the website will also continue to provide a memorable hub of messaging settings information well into the future. It will also provide a key foundation for MDA activities towards the 2012 Olympics – which we are already discussing at the highest level.
There are still sponsorship places available on the site for those wishing to join PlayPhone in engaging consumers seeking rich mobile content. We thank PlayPhone for their support.
Mobile Application Stores – Wednesday 2nd December
As if all that weren’t enough, Wednesday this week (December 2nd) sees our Mobile Application Store event, held with the Digital Communications Knowledge Transfer Network (DCKTN). We’re all full up already, but with speakers from Vodafone 360, Nokia Ovi, Juniper, Bright AI, Kisky Netmedia and Materna, it could be worth keeping tabs on the #MAS09 Twitter hashtag - as well as any others which might evolve throughout the day, and our main website, http://www.themda.org for presentations which will be made accessible to members after the event.
As ever, the MDA has a lot going on. Not a member? Want to be a part of it? Apply online.
