Ringing overseas

The German ringtone and content provider Jamba is called Mobiltelefonie Jamster in the USA and has been on the market there since 2004. Time to take stock. As Vice President of North America, Boris Hageney has been responsible for business development and marketing in the USA since May of this year and will soon also be responsible for Canada. Prior to this, he had been responsible for Jamba's Italian business since 2004, later also for Spain and Portugal and finally for the whole of Western Europe. In an interview with Werbewoche, Hageney explains the special features of the US market, why price transparency is important for offers and what Jamster specializes in. WW: How do you assess the market situation in the USA in comparison to Europe? Boris Hageney: The USA is a very attractive, but also a very fragmented market, where some special features have to be taken into account. There are relatively many network operators and different standards that exist side by side. Unlike in Europe, where essentially the same technical requirements apply to all network operators, content providers in America have to deal with different platforms from network operator to network operator, which is not always easy. The differences sometimes even occur within one network operator, which naturally makes it more difficult to roll out new products.WW: There was a problem with misleading advertising in Europe. Many young people subscribed to services without knowing what they would be charged. Do you also encounter these problems in the USA? Hageney: We have learned a lot over the last few years and have changed our advertising considerably. Our advertising in the USA is so crystal clear that there are no misunderstandings here. I sit on a number of committees, such as the Mobile Marketing Association, where the guidelines for advertising are laid down. Jamster is the prime example of transparency in the USA - we are setting standards for the entire industry.WW: For example?Hageney: In the print sector, for example, the advertisements of other providers are often very confusing, there is hardly any information on prices or cancellation options. Jamba has created a global advertising standard which states that very clear information must appear at the bottom of the advertisement. The customer must be able to see at a glance what they are buying, how much it costs and how to contact customer service. WW: Your main advertising platform in the USA is television, right? Hageney: Yes, TV is currently our most important advertising channel in the USA. Print advertising, on the other hand, plays a lesser role than in Europe. WW: Is more advertising shifting to the Internet? Hageney: You can't say it's shifting, the usual channels will continue to be used and TV advertising will continue to grow. US TV is still a strong medium.WW: Are you planning a brand-building campaign in the USA like the one in England? Other countries will follow in the coming year - whether the USA will follow is not yet clear.WW: What kind of content offerings do you specialize in in the USA? Hageney: We are the only provider that has licensing agreements with all four major music labels, i.e. Universal, SonyBMG, Warner Music and soon EMI. We also work with major game producers and film studios. For example, Disney is our partner and we are currently negotiating with Sony Pictures. WW: Do you believe that the USA has only just entered the cell phone middle ages? Hageney: I do indeed believe that this has been the case up to now, as the quality of the networks was significantly below international standards. Incidentally, this also applies to cell phones. Compared to Europe, the US market is still growing much faster. On the other hand, Americans are very technology-friendly and are prepared to buy new and better equipped cell phones on a regular basis. I am therefore convinced that the difference between Europe and the USA will quickly narrow. And when it comes to mobile content and marketing, we in Europe can still learn a lot from the USA.WW: What forms of mobile marketing do you use? Hageney: We are very active in the WAP sector in the USA. You can use it to advertise in a slimmed-down form similar to the Internet. We have a sales channel in the WAP where we advertise products, but we do not place third party advertising within our products. Interview: Gerti Schön
This also interests Murdoch Die Jamba GmbH
based in Berlin-Mitte, is the world's largest provider of ringtones and cell phone applications and the market leader in mobile gaming, according to Wikipedia. Jamba employs around 520 people (as of July 2006). Jamba was founded in 2000 and passed the one million registered user mark after just nine months. The Jamba portal now offers several hundred services such as sports reports, eroticism, Reuters ticker, leisure guides, e-cards, WAP, MMS and video streams via UMTS. Jamba primarily operates aggressive market communication via music TV channels such as MTV or Viva. In 2004, the company invested 90 million euros in German television advertising, outspending large corporations such as McDonald's and Beiersdorf. Over the years, Jamba has worked with more than a dozen network operators in Europe, providing them with its services. Since the beginning of 2005, Jamba services have also been introduced in North America. Outside Europe, but also in the UK, Jamba operates under the brand name Jamster.
In September, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation announced its intention to buy a majority stake in Jamster, which is to be integrated into the Fox Mobile Entertainment Division once negotiations have been concluded. (rw/gs)