Verizon sponsored data platform includes pair of options for advertisers
Verizon Wireless launched its long-promised sponsored data program with a pair of models designed to allow businesses to front various amounts of data to consumers interacting with their content or services.
Verizon Wireless said the FreeBee Data platform includes a basic offer allowing content providers to “sponsor” specific consumer actions on a per-click basis, citing activities like viewing mobile video clips, audio streaming and application downloads. The more inclusive FreeBee Data 360 option bills usage to a content provider on a per-gigabyte basis.
A beta version of the FreeBeeData 360 model is set to launch today, with the pay-per-click version set for its beta trial launch on Jan. 25, though the carrier noted commercial availability was not expected until later this year. Verizon Wireless claims Hearst Magazines, its AOL division and GameDay have all signed up to trial the pay-per-click option for 1,000 test subscribers.
For consumers accessing the free data, Verizon Wireless noted they would see a “bee” icon appear next to sponsored content alerting them to when free access to content was available.
“In today’s digital economy, FreeBee Data is a departure from the one size fits all approach to marketing,” explained Colson Hillier, VP for consumer products at Verizon. “The opportunity to add value and utility to consumers’ everyday experiences will fundamentally transform how brands and businesses connect with their customers.”
The offering appears similar to one launched by AT&T in early 2014, which is geared towards providing customers with free data access to sponsored content.
AT&T last October bolstered its offering with partner Aquto with the launch of the Data Perks application compatible with both Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS platforms that allows customers to earn “free” data access for partaking in surveys or making purchases through the app. Customers can earn up to 1,000 megabytes of data per month through the application, with that earned data having to then be manually transferred out of the earned pile into their data bucket in 25 Mb increments. Data transferred into a customers data bucket is also tapped prior to the data included initially in the data bucket, and the earned data does not rollover into the following month.
Bored? Why not follow me on Twitter
