Mobile Marketing: The Operator Opportunity

Focusing on connectivity infrastructure and digital inclusion, and with an emphasis on service provider technology, along with mission-critical technologies and 5G, this year’s AfricaCom will highlight the exciting future on offer to mobile network operators (MNOs) in Africa. With the upcoming removal of tracking cookies from most web browsers, and Africa’s development as a mobile-first region, there is a great opportunity for operators, today more than ever, to leverage their networks to their full potential, and via best-in-class mobile marketing, acquire new customers, expand their customer bases’ lifetime value and establish themselves as key players in the digital advertising ecosystem.

“African mobile operators are in the driving seat when it comes to the future of consumer advertising and marketing in the region,” said George Kalyvas, Chief Commercial Officer at Upstream. “Mobile Operators have a unique opportunity that they simply cannot afford to miss. By owning the future of advertising and marketing, they can rise as major players in a market that is set to be worth over $620 billion globally by 2029 [1]. Having already invested in building their networks, operators need to ensure they are reaping the reward for that hard work. Acting now and deploying mobile marketing services will enable operators to get a head start on the future of advertising and grow beyond their core offering.”

Upstream’s proprietary martech platform, Grow, is a one-stop-shop to develop omnichannel marketing campaigns, efficiently orchestrate mobile operators’ channels, optimize their campaigns every step of the way, manage their audience, and easily identify potential customers from the web, via the brand-new Mobile Identity technology (https://bit.ly/3DyOMg4).

    African mobile operators are in the driving seat when it comes to the future of consumer advertising and marketing in the region

The Mobile Identity technology takes the personalization tracking cookies used to offer to the next level. It enables operators to deliver personalized advertising to their subscribers by using a subscriber’s unique mobile number (MSISDN) to collect first-party data, with their consent. African MNOs now have the tools needed to take advantage of the prime position they are in and capitalize on the next evolution of advertising and marketing.

Results for Mobile Operators via omnichannel marketing

Upstream has been well placed to observe the evolution of the telecoms and advertising market in Africa having operated across the continent for over 15 years. With operations in 9 countries in Africa, including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia, the martech expert now covers more than 70 million users through its partnerships, working with 14 major African mobile operators. Powering these partnerships is Grow, its unique mobile marketing automation platform, which can drive five times higher conversions with 30% less effort and a three times ROI compared to “traditional” marketing campaigns.

Partnering with a popular South African food retailer, Upstream was able to use the power of its martech platform to deploy a highly interactive campaign that achieved a 22.2% click-through rate (CTR) and generated over 12,000 clicks in just the first two weeks. Another region that has gone through a similar transition and now sees mobile operators emerging as advertising and marketing leaders is Brazil. Grow has been procured by the two biggest MNOs in the country as their CVM/CRM platform to handle marketing campaigns for a plethora of business objectives: from user acquisition to postpaid plans and affiliated digital banks, to user retention, debt collection and overall management of their RCS campaigns. On top, Upstream’s professional services have helped a top-tier Brazilian operator to secure 785,000 plan upgrades in just six months.

To learn more about the future of mobile marketing in Africa, you can visit Upstream at AfricaCom, at Stand E3. Upstream promises to break down the “black box” of mobile marketing automation for its guests and visitors.

[1] Fortune Business Insights, “With 23.2% CAGR, Mobile Advertising Market Size Worth USD 621.63 Billion in 2029”, May 2022

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Upstream.