Mobile content is defined as interaction on mobile outside of peer to peer employee contact list activities, mainly voice and SMS. Content includes pictures, audio, video and applications all of which require storage or installation employee contact list on the mobile handset. The growth in mobile content has developed from the ring tone and picture background markets of the early millennium, through to a more complex range of content including video, games and applications. A combination of better handsets, improved data speeds and data pricing means that the level employee contact list of content downloads are predicted to increase significantly.

With a many recent scandals connected employee contact list to Premium Rate Messaging, there is a significant public distrust with this billing method for content. This presents and opportunity to brands who are able to fund content and delivery it to the mobile user for free. Conversely, whilst direct marketing to mobile through is increasing, many users and some brands employee contact list see this as intrusive. Ad-funded content offers brands a different relationship with the mobile user by giving the benefit of free entertainment or information. A report by the Mobile Entertainment employee contact list Forum (MEF) believed that ad-funded mobile entertainment in games and video to generate revenue of £145m in the UK by 2012 How does it work.

As brands are looking for new ways employee contact list to promote to their markets, mobile content advertising offers them a new channel with which to do this. Within video or gaming content, this is typically through a pre-roll or splash screen advertising. However there is a move towards brands to move beyond a simple sponsorship model by developing their employee contact list own content. This is done by working with mobile content developers and creators. The distribution mechanism is usually via MMS or SMS and WAP push, where a text message is sent with a employee contact list download link. This is usually triggered by a request to a shortode (five or six digit number) from the mobile user.