The world has become a global village and for success in this global marketplace, creation and application of new technology faster than the competitors is essential. Mobile advertising enables companies to have direct contact with the present and the potential customers. This article discusses the basics of mobile advertising, the mobile advertising value chain, its conceptual model, and the golden rules to be followed by the marketers to succeed in today's competitive business environment.

Mobile advertising has emerged as one of the important tools of marketing. While this form of marketing has immense potential, it also has certain challenges. Today, technology is changing the way we communicate, the way we entertain ourselves, the way we do business, etc. However, mobile advertising is in the experimental phase and only a few companies having less experience have started using this type of marketing. The use of mobile phones is bringing a whole new paradigm in the field of marketing. It has opened up new channels for the marketers. It has become an interactive medium. The convergence of Internet and cellphones has forced marketers to think out-of-the-box and come up with various advertising strategies that suit the present technology-sensitive market.

Today, marketers are using mobile phones strategically for customer acquisition, retention and improved customer relationships. There are more than 500 million mobile subscribers in India. Slowly but surely mobile phones are being used as a strategic advertising tool with a mix of voice and text messaging (SMS: Short Messaging Services). Worldwide, the figure stands over two billion; but in spite of the rapid growth in the demand for mobile phones and its inherent marketing potential, very little research has been done on mobile advertising.

Advertising Express Magazine, Mobile Advertising, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Short Messaging Services, SMS, Text Messaging, Mobile Marketing Campaigns, Two-way Communication Process, Mobile Communication, Mobile Technology, Mobile Marketing, Customer Satisfaction, Marketing Technology.