Huge looks to mobile media

Huge Media, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huge Group, has rolled out a mobile phone application called Goodyz, based on the Eyeballs mobile advertising technology that Huge secured a majority stake in last year.

This is part of Huge Media plans to position itself to dominate the digital media arena. Goodyz displays customised advertising, digital content and information to the user's mobile phone.

Anton Potgieter, Huge Group executive chairman, says Goodyz has been in redevelopment for a year since its beta version: “We've redesigned critical parts of the application and we believe that it's the right time now to get it out the door and we believe the market is ready for it.”

Mobile advertising in SA is lagging behind compared to other countries, says Potgieter. “If you look at what's available locally, at the moment, there's very little that's useful to the end-user. Mobile advertising is generally SMS and MMS; which is purely unsolicited.

“We want to make a big splash in the mobile advertising market. We would like to turn the industry on its head and we've got the technology to do it. It's not just an advertising service, as it offers free interactive content and financial awards such as Mxit Moola and e-bucks. It makes your phone very intuitive and a form of entertainment for users.”

According to Potgieter, the application is targeted at all Symbian-based cellphones. Goodyz has attracted users from early teens all the way to older age groups, he adds.

Justin Lavers, sales and marketing manager for Huge Media, points out that Goodyz is an opt-in technology, meaning that it's not intrusive advertising and users can choose what free content they want to receive.

He adds that the advertising impact to its audience is measurable, making reporting to advertisers accurate and transparent.

“We have had a widespread and positive response from the advertising industry as a whole,” says Lavers. “The market is ready for a game-changing development, and this promises to be it. Advertisers are really keen to give the new technology a try.”