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