| Philadelphia -- Once considered a teenage fad, text | | | | enables its fans to catch up on the latest news |
| messaging popularity in the United States is rising | | | | and results of their favorite team. There are also |
| dramatically. Worldwide, according to the Mobile | | | | custom cell phone wallpapers of team logos and |
| Marketing Association, 350 billion text messages | | | | unique actual game recorded play-by-play |
| are sent per month. Text messages, also known | | | | ringtones in the professional baseball offering. Two |
| as SMS, are exchanged across the world's | | | | years ago, Live 8, which sponsored the single |
| networks with 15% of the messages being | | | | biggest text messaging promotion in history, |
| classified as commercial marketing messages. | | | | garnered 26 million texts supporting increased |
| In fact, text messaging is entering all aspects of | | | | government aid to poor African countries. The |
| our society, even relationships. The San Francisco | | | | opportunities for promoters appear to only be |
| Chronicle reports that nine percent of singles have | | | | limited by one's imagination. In China, cell phone |
| even admitted to breaking up with their significant | | | | advertising is exploding, but it is slower to catch |
| others via text message. This includes pop star | | | | on in the United States despite the fact that |
| Britney Spears who is said to have told Kevin | | | | many advertisers who have tried it have |
| Federline to hit the road via text message. Thirty | | | | reported outstanding results. |
| percent of text users said that they've continued | | | | One of the more interesting applications that |
| an argument by text message; probably part of | | | | we've seen is one being sold to radio stations by |
| the same group that ultimately contributed to the | | | | Chicago-based Spark Network Services. Spark |
| break ups. | | | | offers a suite of text messaging products called |
| But, text messages aren't just about breaking up, | | | | PromoTXTRadio. The text messaging products |
| they are about hooking up too. Bret Dunlap, | | | | allow radio stations to offer votelines, |
| owner of Advanced Telecom Services, said that | | | | sweepstakes, song dedications, station play lists, |
| his company has been providing dating services to | | | | traffic reports, and breaking news via text |
| newspapers and radio stations for 15 years. | | | | message. It even allows radio stations to offer |
| Advanced Telecom Services' Matchlink brand has | | | | their station jingles to be played as cell phone |
| recently added a text dating service to go with | | | | ringtones. |
| its already existing online and telephone voice | | | | Still, Americans have a long way to go to catch |
| dating services. "It's mostly the 18 to 24 crowd | | | | their Asian brethren when it comes to the |
| that uses the mobile text message dating service | | | | growing phenomenon of text messaging. |
| now," said Dunlap. | | | | CTIA-The Wireless Association, estimates that |
| The applications for text messaging promotions | | | | the average Chinese cell phone user sent 651 |
| are also increasing just as quickly. Major League | | | | text messages last year compared to just 203 |
| Baseball offers a text message service that | | | | for US wireless users. |