A wily and innovative company that came out of Infosys wants to turn every phone call into an advertising opportunity
Imagine calling your wife on her mobile phone and being greeted not with a ringtone, but with an ad that reminds you that her birthday falls in two days, and that you can get a 15 percent off on her favourite flowers at the local florist.
OnMobile’s ambition is to put up and manage the system that allows advertisers to view ad opportunities, record their audio ads and place bids for ad spots. It expects to be paid the same share of profits it currently makes from operators. In Rao’s vision, this could allow a local Udupi restaurant in Mysore to target all mobile calls within a 5 km radius with their ads.
(This story appears in the 28 August, 2009 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)