'HUL got 45,000 responses for campaign'

Q&A/ M Prasad, RCom

about his plans for the extension of mobile applications. Excerpts:

What does the MMA award mean for your company?

The fact that the award is from MMA "" a non-profit organisation with 450 members representing 20 countries "" excites us. Its members include agencies, advertisers, handheld device manufacturers, carriers and operators and others.

From Reliance's point of view, we look at mobiles not just as a voice but data medium, too.

This award recognises that. It also recognises the mobile operator or the advertiser for using this platform effectively in the direct response category.

Reliance is one of the few service providers to give its clients lead generation through advertisements. How effective have your leads been?

SMS messaging was used to promote brands, as well as the customer care platform along with many other avenues.

But there was never an attempt to use mobiles to showcase a brand in its totality. ICICI and Citibank were the first ones to use this platform to generate leads for their credit card businesses.

Automobiles were another sector which has been a early adopter. Hindustan Unilever (HUL) received about 45,000 responses for a campaign that went on for a month. This is a win-win situation for the advertiser and the user. This medium gives the advertiser a 360 degree approach to an advertising campaign.

How much does VAS contribute to your company's revenue?

For Reliance, the network contribution from VAS each month is in the range of 10-15 per cent. Of this, the revenue from mobile advertisements is still very small. We have been able to generate revenue but it surely is not enough.

How important is the third-generation network (3G) for providing better applications?

3G allows you a faster rich-media experience. It also provides two-way video interaction. But then, for other applications, 3G does not make much of a impact as the size is very tiny.

It is just not about networks, and also depends on the handset available. Very few handset devices have made a headway into the market in the lower price brackets.