After extensive testing, Telefonica has announced the launch of an idle screen mobile advertising service. Tested over 6 months with 5,000 customers, the service will be powered by Celltick, using it’s LiveScreen Media platform.
Idle screen advertising?
This form of advertising takes advantage of mobile devices when they’re not in use. Instead of just having a blank screen, “idle screen” uses the display space to show advertising. Cellticks LiveScreen Media platform allows pretty much any media content to be displayed on an idle screen, including news, entertainment and advertising. And since all of this content is being broadcast on a touchscreen (for the most part) it can be interacted with.
The tests were run by Telefonica subsidiary Movistar in Argentina, which is claiming that 82% of it’s customers engaged with the idle screen content.
What we think?
Idle screen is an interesting proposition. First, it’s the very definition of “ad creep” – the gradual spread of advertising to every single available surface. This isn’t quite as bad as billboards or wild posting might be in real life, because at least idle screen ads can be targeted by user preference, and can offer click-to-action. However, I just can’t imagine people clapping their hands for joy when yet another part of their mobile becomes clogged with ads.
How does this affect battery life? The environmentalists tell us to turn off displays when we aren’t using them, this applies to mobiles too.
With Battery life so valuable on a handset, the question here begging to be asked is how does this effect the battery life? If it is hitting my screen and causing my phone to be on rather then in wait mode, or even an ad right after I use the phone, that has to use up precious battery time, would it not?
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