The SMS market

SMS is often perceived as a kid's medium suited to youth brands such as MTV and Levis. Reviewing the latest industry research reveals a different story- almost 4 out of 5 of the UK population own a mobile phone.

This article provides an 'at a glance' summary of the latest industry figures as provided by the Mobile Data Association:

SMS penetration within the UK

As at April 2005, 2.52 billion text messages sent in the UK, which is almost 84 million messages a day. The majority of these messages are peer to peer (P2P) which is when friends send messages to each other. However, with the growth of premium content services such as ring tones, wall papers and more, accounts for a growing percentage. Industry Analysts, Informa Telecoms & Media forecast that this sector will be worth USD 15bn by the end of 2005 rising to over USD 42bn by 2010 across the globe.

Interestingly, marketing messages account for a relatively small percentage. But why is this? Discussions with many marketers reveals that it is primarily down to:

• Uncertainty: how best to use this new medium. Adestra have provided a campaign checklist to help first time SMS marketers
• No database: marketers should invest in building marketing databases to communicate with
• Unproven: Not enough case studies proving effectiveness. Find out how marketers are using SMS in this article or read our Comic Relief case study
• No audience: A belief that target audiences are not reachable through SMS

It is the final concern which is most misguided. 78% of the UK population own a mobile phone, of which over 70% send text messages. The youth market are heavy users, 95% of 16−24 year olds use text messaging regularly, each sending an average of 100 texts per month. However, it is not just the kids. 43% of all UK adults use text messaging (rising fast)

Users of SMS by age:

Of these people, are they receptive to SMS? Industry research shows that response rates average from 6% to more than 40%! When asked, 8 out of 10 mobile users are open to receiving marketing & promotional offers via text message (Source: Empower 2004)

SMS is not just a youth medium but an immediate, effective and established medium able to target growing sectors of the UK population.

SMS Services provided by Adestra

Adestra provide inbound and outbound SMS marketing services. For more information, please read about our SMS broadcasting service