Mobile content provider Pitch  has
announced the Beta launch of what it claims is the world's first
advertising-funded mobile content service, with a full launch due in
the autumn. Pitch offers UK mobile users completely free ringtones,
games and graphics in exchange for personal profile data and opt-in
consent to receive mobile advertising. By building a community of
genuinely opted-in, receptive and demographically-profiled users, Pitch
aims to offer brands an opportunity to deploy innovative mobile
marketing campaigns to highly-targeted groups of consumers. The company quotes research from Jupiter which estimates that 3 million UK consumers are regularly paying to download ringtones, graphics and games to their mobile phones. Pitch is available to users on all UK mobile networks, with the exception of 3.
To sign up to the service,consumers text 'Pitch' to the shortcode 87000 and then join Pitch via a Wap site from their handset. They are asked a short series of
profile-building questions including age, gender and interests, before
agreeing to accept up to three advertising messages a week. They can then access unlimited
free mobile content for life, including top mobile games, ringtones
and other downloads. Pitch also has a Marketing Services division
which the company says can help brands create and deploy mobile campaigns to its customers, using SMS, MMS, wap banner and other mobile marketing techniques. 

"Pitch, for the first time,removes the barriers which have prevented the growth of mobile marketing in all its forms" says Pitch CEO, Lourens de Beer. "Brands are able to target campaigns at customers who have clearly agreed to receive advertising, knowing they are likely to
be interested in the offer. Pitch can therefore deliver targeted,
large-scale campaigns with a low cost per-response and high return on marketing investment."

Pitch Executive Chairman David Warburton adds:

"Mobile advertising is a massive channel, the potential of which has
hardly been realised. Our research indicates that over half the adult
population of the UK are receptive to receiving advertising messages on their phones,
as long as it is relevant to them, comes from a qualified source and contains good offers or incentives. Pitch is the first credible mobile
advertising channel where brands can target actively opted-in and fully-profiled customers across all mobile networks."