Ypulse

Today, we’re live blogging from the YPulse National Mashup here in San Francisco. It’s a convening of some of the leading social marketers in the world who are reaching young people. This year’s major themes focus on the future of mobile. I am a bit out of my comfort zone sitting here blogging from my Dell computer and feeling slightly inadequate without the new iPhone at my side, but I am taking it in and have already seen some interesting discussions.

First speaker was Antii Ohrling, co-founder of Blyk, an innovative new mobile advertising service that is sweeping throughout the UK. The basic idea of Blyk is that 16-24 y/o sign up to receive free text and mobile minutes in exchange for advertising. In a sense it’s a quid pro quo – trading minutes for marketing. And, what’s more, it’s working – with astonishing success. Ohrling explained that the campaigns average a 29% response rate, which far exceeds any traditional web banner or mobile campaign ads. Read more »