Softbank-owned Sprint and Spanish mobile operating giant Telefónica have joined forces, combining to form one of the world’s biggest mobile advertising alliances, pushing services to over 370 million mobile customers in the US, Europe and Latin America (LATAM).
Telefónica Digital (Telefónica’s innovation arm) and Pinsight Media+ (Sprint’s advertising service launched in October 2012), will push ads both online and in ad-supported applications and content, regardless of whether customers decide to opt-in.
However, if users do decide, they will receive better targeted ads and services.
For advertisers, the new partnership will ensure that there easier ways to target consumers across in US, European and LATAM markets, allowing them to launch campaigns that can be run in a number of different countries. Both companies intend to expand their services into Asia, which is the world’s fastest growing smartphone market.
“This agreement fulfills a need in the advertising market for meeting the mobile advertising requirements of global brands,” said Mike Cooley, VP of New Ventures at Sprint. “Through this alliance, we are seeking to efficiently expand our capabilities to deliver mobile marketing solutions for U.S.-based advertisers into Europe and Latin America, while Telefónica Digital aims to do the same for their regional customers in the United States.”
Today’s announcement sees Telefónica expand focus on delivering advertising services in new markets. Last year, it teamed up (via its O2 subsidiary) with Vodafone UK and EE to launch “Weve”, a new advertising network to provide targeted services for brands to over 80 percent of UK mobile customers.
Telefónica originally formed the joint-venture with its rivals to accelerate the development of mobile marketing and wallet services in the UK, allowing it offer an alternative to UK banks’ own services.
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