Short Message Service (SMS) is a communications service that allows the exchange of short text messages, limited to160 characters, between mobile phones. It is also referred to as “text messaging” or “texting.” SMS messages can be sent and received between virtually all operator networks. Virtually every mobile phone in the world supports SMS, creating a ubiquitous market for SMS-based advertising campaigns. SMS supports messages sent from one user to another, as well as messages sent from a machine, such as a PC, application or server, to a user.
The recommended ad units for SMS are as follows:
• Initial SMS Ad (Appended) is a universal text ad unit of variable length (often between 20-60 characters) appended to the content (or body) portion of the message containing the primary, non-advertising content of the message. This ad unit uses the remaining space after the content portion of the message, and can be made available for advertiser usage by the publisher. As a principle, focus should remain on the content portion which should not be compromised by the ad unit.
• Complete SMS Ad (Full Message) is a universal text ad unit with up to 160 characters available for advertiser usage. There is no primary, non-advertising content in the message and this ad unit is typically delivered as a reply to an Initial SMS Ad or “Text (keyword) to (short code)” call-to-action. These ads may be delivered as part of an ongoing opt-in mobile advertising campaign.
Initial SMS Ad Specifications; Specification Components
- Format SMS is a text-only medium. It does not support any rich media; however some mobile phones with click-to-call or click-to-web capability will display colored links and underlining of URLs and phone numbers. The font size is entirely controlled by the mobile phone and is not under control of advertiser or publisher. Therefore the message renders differently on different mobile phones.
- Length The length of the ad is the subject to the available space after the content. Consult your publisher for the maximum allowable length. Current practice is typically ads under 20-60 characters, with ads up to 80 characters. Advertisers should be aware that shorter copy allows for increased publishing inventory availability. When using double-byte characters (otherwise known as 16-bit) to send an SMS, the limit is 70 characters. 16-bit characters are associated with sending a Unicode text message, which is required to convey some of the special characters used in non-Latin alphabets, such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean.
- Location The ad copy will be inserted only at the end of the content portion of the SMS. In cases where the sender uses a personal SMS signature, the ad should be inserted after the signature.
