A STUDY ON THE REACH OF SMS MARKETING AMONG PUBLIC

ABSTRACT The project title A study on the reach of SMS marketing among public conducted in YAMEE CLUSTER LTD aims to find out the general opinion on the promotion message received in mobile phones. The main objective of the study is to determine the reach of SMS marketing on the public and the secondary objectives is to analyze the way to improve the SMS marketing, to bring out the preferences of the customers about SMS Marketing, to find out different methods to eradicate the factors that brings down the effectiveness of SMS Marketing. This research was conducted with an aim to determine how good it is for the companies to use SMS marketing for their product/service promotion. The main scope of this project are this study will help the public in getting them appropriate messages, so that they can make the best use of it. The results will be very helpful for the company to attract a large number of population using mobile phones. Being the most innovative communication technique among the people short messaging paves a right path for real time product publicity. A Study on the reach of SMS Marketing among Public makes sure that this marketing technique becomes helpful for both the companies and the Public.

LIST OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER No.

CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES INTRODUCTION 1.1 INDUSTRY PROFILE 1.2 COMPANY PROFILE 1.3 PRODUCT PROFILE 1.4 NEED FOR THE STUDY 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 1.7 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 1.8 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1.9 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 2.1 DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS ON SAMPLE SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 3.1 FINDINGS 3.2 SUGGESTIONS 3.3 CONCLUSIONS ANNEXURES BIBLIOGRAPHY

PAGE No.

LIST OF TABLES LIST OF CHARTS Table No. Chart No. 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 16 17 18 Title Title Receiving of Marketing/Promotional Messages Receiving Of Marketing/Promotional Messages Attention Given To those Messages Attention Given To those Messages Usefulness of the Marketing Messages Usefulness of the Marketing Messages Reason Behind Deleting the Messages without Reading Reason Behind Deleting the Messages without Reading Sectors from which Most Messages are Received Sectors from which Most Messages are Received Preferences of such Messages if the Persons Need is Catered to Preferences of such Messages if the Persons Need is Catered to Messages from Preferred Field Messages from Preferred Field Number of Messages Received Per Day Number of Messages Received Per Day Forward of Promotional Messages Forward of Promotional Messages Purchase of a Product with the help of Promotional Messages Purchase of a Product with the help of Promotional Messages Use of a Service with the Help of Promotional Messages Use of a Service with the Help of Promotional Messages Registering for Bulk Messages Registering for Bulk Messages Willingness to Pay for Getting Offers Related Messages Willingness to Pay for Getting Offers Related Messages Usefulness of Promotional Messages Usefulness of Promotional Messages Sectors from which Most Messages are Received Usefulness of Promotional Messages Chi Square Test Chi Square Calculation Page No. Page No. 37 37 38 38 39 39 40 40 41 41 42 42 43 43 44 44 45 45 46 46 47 47 48 48 49 49 50 50 51 52 52 53

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION Short Message Service (SMS) is the text communication service component of phone, web or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices. SMS text messaging is the most widely used data application in the world, with 2.4 billion active users, or 74% of all mobile phone subscribers. The term SMS is used as a synonym for all types of short text messaging as well as the user activity itself in many parts of the world. SMS as used on modern handsets was originated from radio telegraphy in radio memo pagers using standardized phone protocols and later defined as part of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) series of standards in 1985 as a means of sending messages of up to 160 characters, to and from GSM mobile handsets. Since then, support for the service has expanded to include other mobile technologies such as ANSI CDMA networks and Digital AMPS, as well as satellite and landline networks. Most SMS messages are mobile-to-mobile text messages though the standard supports other types of broadcast messaging as well. Initial concept The idea of adding text messaging to the services of mobile users was not frequent in many communities of mobile communication services at the beginning of the 1980s. The first action plan of the CEPT Group GSM, approved in December 1982, requested "The services and facilities offered in the public switched telephone networks and public data networks... should be available in the mobile system". This target includes the exchange of text messages either directly between mobile stations, or transmitted via Message Handling Systems widely in use since the beginning of the 1980s. The SMS concept was developed in the Franco-German GSM cooperation in 1984 by Fried helm Hillenbrand and Bernard Ghillebaert. The innovation in SMS is short. The GSM is optimized for telephony, since this was identified as its main application. The key idea for SMS

was to use this telephony-optimized system, and to transport messages on the signaling paths needed to control the telephony traffic during time periods when no signaling traffic existed. In this way, unused resources in the system could be used to transport messages at minimal cost. However, it was necessary to limit the length of the messages to 128 bytes (later improved to 140 bytes, or 160 seven-bit characters) so that the messages could fit into the existing signaling formats. This concept allowed SMS to be implemented in every mobile station by updating its software. This concept was instrumental for the implementation of SMS in every mobile station ever produced and in every network from early days. Hence, a large base of SMS capable terminals and networks existed when the users began to utilize the SMS. A new network element required was a specialized short message service center, and enhancements were required to the radio capacity and network transport infrastructure to accommodate growing SMS traffic.

1.1 INDUSTRY PROFILE: SMS MARKETING Marketing on a mobile phone has become increasingly popular ever since the rise of SMS (Short Message Service) in the early 2000s in Europe and some parts of Asia when businesses started to collect mobile phone numbers and send off wanted (or unwanted) content. Over the past few years SMS has become a legitimate advertising channel in some parts of the world. This is because unlike email over the public internet, the carriers who police their own networks have set guidelines and best practices for the mobile media industry (including mobile advertising). The IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and the Mobile Marketing Association, as well, have established guidelines and are evangelizing the use of the mobile channel for marketers. While this has been fruitful in developed regions such as North America, Western Europe and some other countries, mobile SPAM messages (SMS sent to mobile subscribers without a legitimate and explicit opt-in by the subscriber) remain an issue in many other parts or the world, partly due to the carriers selling their member databases to third parties. Mobile marketing via SMS has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia as a new channel to reach the consumer. SMS initially received negative media coverage in many parts of Europe for being a new form of spam as some advertisers purchased lists and sent unsolicited content to consumer's phones; however, as guidelines are put in place by the mobile operators, SMS has become the most popular branch of the Mobile Marketing industry with several 100 million advertising SMS sent out every month in Europe alone. In Europe the first cross-carrier SMS short code campaign was run by Txtbomb in 2001 for an Island Records release, In North America it was the Labatt Brewing Company in 2002. Over the past few years mobile short codes have been increasingly popular as a new channel to communicate to the mobile consumer. Brands have begun to treat the mobile short code as a

mobile domain name allowing the consumer to text message the brand at an event, in store and off any traditional media. SMS services typically run off a short code, but sending text messages to an email address is another methodology. Short codes are 5 or 6 digit numbers that have been assigned by all the mobile operators in a given country for the use of brand campaign and other consumer services. Due to the high price of short codes of $500-$1000 a month, many small businesses opt to share a short code in order to reduce monthly costs. The mobile operators vet every short code application before provisioning and monitor the service to make sure it does not diverge from its original service description. Another alternative to sending messages by short code or email is to do so through one's own dedicated phone number. Besides short codes, inbound SMS is very often based on long numbers (international number format, e.g. +44 7624 805000), which can be used in place of short codes or premium-rated short messages for SMS reception in several applications, such as product promotions and campaigns. Long numbers are internationally available, as well as enabling businesses to have their own number, rather than short codes which are usually shared across a number of brands. Additionally, long numbers are non-premium inbound numbers. One key criterion for provisioning is that the consumer opts in to the service. The mobile operators demand a double opt in from the consumer and the ability for the consumer to opt out of the service at any time by sending the word STOP via SMS. These guidelines are established in the MMA Consumer Best Practices Guidelines which are followed by all mobile marketers in the United States. MMS mobile marketing can contain a timed slideshow of images, text, audio and video. This mobile content is delivered via MMS (Multimedia Message Service). Nearly all new phones produced with a color screen are capable of sending and receiving standard MMS message. Brands are able to both send (mobile terminated) and receive (mobile originated) rich content through MMS A2P (application-to-person) mobile networks to mobile subscribers. In some networks, brands are also able to sponsor messages that are sent P2P (person-to-person). A good example of MMS mobile originated Motorola's ongoing campaigns at House of Blues venues where the brand allows the consumer to send their mobile photos to the LED board in real-time as well as blog their images online.

A total of 9.16 million wireless subscribers were added in the month of August 2008 taking the total subscriber figure to 305.24 million. This figure includes wireless subscribers for GSM, CDMA and WLL phones. Now have a look at the mobile web user profile as in opera.com latest report: Male: 97.2% Female: 2.8% Age groups: Less than 18 years: 5.6% 18-27: 75% 28-37: 13.8% 38-47: 3.8% 48+: 1.0% 75% mobile web users fall in the age group of 18-27. This age group is also a big fan of SMS messaging. This group is one of the most attractive demography which is hard to reach via other media. However this elite group could be easily reached via SMS advertising. The most popular types of advertising on mobile phones are Pull and Push advertising. PULL ADVERTISING: Advertisements placed in free wireless content. PUSH ADVERTISING: Advertising message sent to the user mobile via SMS text messages. These messages vary between 40-160 characters. Push advertising is far bigger and effective then pull advertising in the current times. Push advertising (sms advertising) could however cause some legislative concerns. Best way to make push advertising work without meddling with privacy or consumer rights of the users is via OPT IN method. Here user agrees to receive advertisement. This is what websites like 160by2.com and way2sms.com is doing. Out of 160 character limit of SMS, these websites provide the first half i.e. 80 characters to the user absolutely free. The unused character space is utilized for placing ads.

Let us have a look at some of the benefits of SMS advertising:

Independent of web browser on mobile phones. All mobile devices can receive these ads. Users accept advertisements Ads are relevant, targeted and personalized SMS has larger audience then PC People do not delete messages before reading it. Best for branding products In Sweden, Singapore, Italy and Germany, around 75% of the people used SMS at least

once a month. SMS was most popular in the 'under 25 years' age group. Text messages sent across the world reached an astounding 62.45 billion per month by December 2002. According to the estimates of Strand Consult, the global market for SMS doubled from $ US 7.5 billion in July 2000 to $ US 15 billion by December 2001, and was still growing at a scorching pace. The firm expected the revenues from SMS advertising to exceed those from Internet advertising in thenear future.

Considering this huge pool of mobile-savvy customers, marketers could not ignore the potential that advertisements directed towards SMS senders had. Thus, was born the concept of SMS advertising - something that was to influence the media mix plans of many companies in the years to come.

THE FUTURE OF SMS MARKETING: A marketing company based in the US, The Mobile Channel, conducted a survey of 1000 people regarding the acceptance of SMS advertising. Approximately 94% of the users were positive about the choice of advertisements sent and showed that text advertising could elicit a product response of upto 28%. Even as corporate and cell phone users seemed to be rather enthusiastic about the growing popularity of SMS advertising, there were a few criticisms as well. Like many other media mix components, SMS advertising too had various pitfalls

associated with its usage - the foremost being that of 'Spam SMS' (similar to spam e-mails, spam SMS refers to the unsolicited, unwanted junk SMS that land up in a cell phone user's inbox). Commenting on this, an industry observer said, "Some unscrupulous firms are bound to start sending out spam and clogging the vastly bigger inbox of your futuristic phone with messages that you do not want about services or offers you do not need."

1.2 COMPANY PROFILE Yamee started at 2000, is a leading technology driven organization with over a decade standing, backed by a strong R&D to keep pace with the fast growing and latest technologies in the areas of Information Technology & Embedded Systems. We, Yamee is a professionally organized Design & Development House specialized in providing innovative software solutions. We are concentrating on Multi Domain Vertical Segment, diversified technologies and have gained versatile experience over the decades. We are focused on executing hi-end technology services & solutions to our clients as well as students.

As a part of the projects & development training, we offer Projects keeping in view the latest emerging trends and technologies under Parallel Development Process. We play a Dual Positive Role by satisfying the academic requirements and as well as giving the necessary training in Software Design and Development which enables you to meet the industrial requirements with a wider knowledge and a greater confidence.

Yamee Cluster is a team of qualified professionals passionate about programming, design, technology and analysis. We have also built a network of highly devoted technology people and that helps us find exact solutions for you. We strive to deliver excellence by

Implementing Innovative Ideas. Delivering Cost Effective Solutions. Being a trustworthy and fair business partner. Maintaining Quality Standards. We pride ourselves especially in our ability to deliver precise solutions within the stipulated

time-limit and budget and provide support after delivery. Yamee Cluster global presence combined with offshore delivery Network delivers business and technology expertise to help organizations foster innovation and leverage leading edge technologies for business improvement. By offering innovative yet flexible solutions combined with a solid delivery

backbone, Yamee Cluster can work collaboratively with clients thereby providing high-value approach to your Outsourcing Strategy.

The Executive leaders are the biggest asset of the organization. We push boundaries within clear goals. Our team works from a disciplined plan, agreed upon and followed through. We work together efficiently, economically, and constantly. With well over a rich experience of these executives, the organization is capable handling classes, training, projects both simple & Complex. The up to date Software, Electronics and hardware infrastructure, the well stocked libraries, professional work culture and the product manuals are providing guidelines for every facet of the training and development activity and gives the executives an ambience to be highly efficient and productive. We respect, admire and love the talents of our co-workers and draw on them in our pursuits. We challenge one another in efforts to serve our clients, always seeking and encouraging the next great idea.

CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE AND SUSTAINED GROWTH IS PROOF ENOUGH OF OUR CAPABILITIES Deep understanding of business principles Our cumulative knowledge of business and technology helps us arrive at practical (yet aesthetic) solutions that are business result oriented. We have the know-how to develop solutions like building-blocks that can be seamlessly integrated to expand to meet your growing needs. Technological strengths Our technological expertise spans breadth and depth. Capitalizing on our design strengths, we develop solutions that are not just robust, secure and functionally correct; they come with the added advantage of aesthetic and user-friendly interfaces. Our repertoire includes customized solutions, customizations of third party and open source software and migrations.

Commitment to quality Our development methodology takes quality checks completely into its folds. We consciously invest time and efforts to deliver solutions that are have been thoroughly vetted for quality parameters. We balance delivery schedules, costs of development and quality without compromising on any of them.

Perfection in design principles Our commitment to deliver quality solutions that surpasses customer expectation begins early in the project life cycle i.e. in the design phase. Our scientific approaches to design coupled with close user interactions and walk-thru, eliminate design glitches which could prove very expensive, if discovered later. This coupled with practical and intuitive inputs; we include attributes to enhance user-experiences, easy maintainability and scalability, at this early stage itself. Indeed, small acorns grow into great oaks!

About Us Web development outsourcing is a recent trend in the offshore outsourcing arena, at yamee Cluster; our solutions are designed around what our clients, our long term strategic partners, require and not revolve around what we have. Our solutions are custom designed and business productive. Today a large number of companies worldwide are outsourcing big small web development projects to India... OUR MISSION Our mission is to emerge and propel as an international identity on the basis of our renowned solutions, while we continue to grow. We strive to deliver excellence by

Implementing Innovative Ideas Delivering Cost Effective Solutions Being a trustworthy and fair business partner

Maintaining Quality Standards SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE YAMEE CLUSTERS:

Web Services

Website Design Website Redesign Website Maintenance Website Hosting Website Development Content Management System

Design Services

Logo Design Stationary Design Brochure Design Content Management System

Professional Service

Software Development Project Management Man Power Recruitment ERP, CRM Software HRM Practice ISO Promoters Business Outsourcing

Our Services

Bulk SMS Software Bulk Email Software Training and Placement Services Offshore Outsourcing E-Commerce Development Domain Name Registration

Clients

1.3 NEED FOR STUDY: A study on the reach of SMS marketing among public helps how good is it for the companies to use SMS Marketing for their product/service promotion. It also makes the companies fine tune their messages to get the very purpose of the SMS Marketing fulfilled. On the other side, the study also brings out the preferences of the public who receive the messages. The study thus helps make the messages sent to the public to be in a way in which they prefer it to be, so that it will serve both the public and the companies. It serves the public by getting the right messages for them and serves the companies by changing the public into their customers.

1.4 OBJECTIVES: Primary Objective: To find out the reach of SMS marketing among the public.

Secondary Objectives:

To analyze the ways to improve SMS marketing. To bring out the preferences of the customers about SMS Marketing. To find out different methods to eradicate the factors that brings down the effectiveness of SMS Marketing.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY: The scope of the study is confined to the Public in the Chennai Metropolitan Region; this study will help the companies in improving their SMS marketing performance. There is a wide scope for this research as the results will be very helpful for the company to attract a large number of population using mobile phones. The research will also help the public in getting them appropriate messages, so that they can make the best use of it.

1.6 REVIEW OF LITERATURE: STUART J. BARNES (2004), the escalation and convergence of distributed networks and wireless telecommunications has created a tremendous potential platform for providing business services. In consumer markets, mobile marketing is expected to be a key growth area. The immediacy, interactivity and mobility of wireless devices provide a novel platform for marketing. The personal and ubiquitous nature of devices means that interactivity can be provided anytime and anywhere. However, as experience has shown, it is important to keep the consumer in mind. Mobile marketing permission and acceptance are core issues that marketers have yet to fully explain or resolve. This paper provides direction in this area. After briefly discussing some background on mobile marketing, the paper conceptualizes key characteristics for mobile marketing permission and acceptance. The paper concludes with predictions on the future of mobile marketing and some core areas of further research. http://dl.acm.org

HANS H. BAUER, STUART J. BARNES, TINA REICHARDT, MARCUS M. NEUMANN (2005), with the emergence of high speed wireless network technologies and the increasing market penetration of mobile phones the global advertising industrys interest in using this medium as a means of marketing communication is rising. However, in spite of the increasing number of companies investing in mobile marketing campaigns, there is, as yet, little academic research on this topic and the nature and implications of this channel are not yet understood fully. This research attempts to help in bridging this gap; it investigates the factors that induce consumers to accept the mobile phone as a means of communicating promotional content. Underlying the research is a set of hypotheses that have been formulated to include determinants referring to consumer personality as well as determinants referring to the form of advertising. These hypotheses form the basis for this research and are empirically tested by means of a linear structural equation model. The empirical results (n = 1,028) identify entertainment value as well as information value as the strongest drivers of the acceptance of the mobile phone as an innovative medium for advertising content communication. http://www.ebusinessforum.gr MICHAEL BECKER, EVP BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, ILOOP MOBILE, INC.; MICHAEL HANLEY, (2006), Consumers and business customers are gaining significant power in todays technologically advanced digital, virtual and globalized world. More than ever before, customers have the power to make informed choices through increased real-time access to a broad range of information, communication and decision making tools. Its the marketers job to offer relevant services to their target audience, however, due to the fragmentation and explosive growth of media channels and the ability of customers to timeshift with DVRs, the Internet, mobile phones and related technology, its becoming increasingly more difficult for marketers to capture the attention and maintain an on-going, profitable, relationship with their target audience. http://www.mmaglobal.com

MANEESOONTHORN AND FORTIN (2006), within the existing literature, researchers do tend to agree on the broad issues that are important in determining consumer acceptance of SMS advertising, though there is some disagreement as to the relative importance of each issue. http://anzmac.org

DIMITRIS DROSSOS, GEROGE M. GIAGLIS, GEORGE LEKAKOS, FLORA KOKKINAKI, MARIA G. STAVRAKI (2007), Mobile advertising has become one of the most popular applications in mobile commerce, particularly in the form of text advertising through SMS (Short Messaging Service). However, in the study of mobile advertising little is known regarding the effectiveness of SMS advertising and the factors contributing to its success. This research investigates the significance of a number of factors associated with SMS advertising effectiveness through an experimental study. The findings indicate that incentive, interactivity, appeal, product involvement, and attitude toward SMS advertising in general directly influence attitude toward the advertisement, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intention. The results of the study suggest that a stronger focus on these factors is necessary to improve the effectiveness of SMS advertising campaigns. http://jiad.org

BASHEER. A.M. AL-ALAK (2010), the aim of the study was to examine the impact of mobile marketing on consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions. More specifically the research intended to measure Jordanian consumers' acceptance of SMS advertising. A number of hypotheses were formulated for this purpose. The findings of the study show that there existed positive relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived entertainment and intention to participate and purchase intention. Whereas there existed negative relationship between personal use, extensive advertising, privacy concern and intention to participate and purchase intention. Based on the results a number of recommendations were proposed, and suggestions for future studies were made. www.ccsenet.org/ijbm

LAETITIA RADDER, JACQUES PIETERSEN, HUI WANG, XILIANG HAN, (NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY, SOUTH AFRICA, 2010), Based on its versatility as a personal and direct medium of communication, short message service (SMS) provides a potentially useful avenue to higher educational institutions for marketing their programs to prospective students. However, the success of mobile marketing

depends largely on its acceptance by the target population. This study explores antecedents to pre-final year high school pupils acceptance of South African universities SMS advertising. Results show that social influence is a better predictor of the target markets intentions to adopt SMS advertising than attitudes are. Behavioral intentions are a function of attitudes, social influences, innovation levels, and perceived study utility. No significant relationship exists between perceived risk and SMS advertising acceptance. South African universities could consider using SMS advertising in conjunction with traditional media, but should ensure that SMS content is based on the needs of their target market. www.journals.cluteonline.com

HEIKKI KARJALUOTO, HEIKKI LEHTO, MATTI LEPPNIEMI, TIINA MUSTONEN (2007), the paper offers insights into the development and planning of mobile marketing campaigns. In the theoretical section the study develops a model of the mobile marketing campaign development process and management. With the use of a case study method, the empirical section presents an analysis of the implementation process of three mobile marketing campaigns. The case study confirms the theoretical model, as well as adds new elements to campaign management processes that have not previously been identified in literature. The study offers fresh contributions to the existing knowledge of mobile marketing campaign management and gives suggestions for better campaign management. https://noppa.aalto.fi

PATRICIA ZEGREANU (2012), in an ever evolving technology dominated world, consumers and companies change their communication needs and wants. With a marketingoriented new generation of customers, marketers must adopt new forms of efficient and targeted delivery of their message. Mobile marketing promises a direct one-to-one approach and a targeted commercial message, but, to be really appreciated by the customers, it needs

their permission for a direct communication. The acceptance of customers depends on their level of trust in the company, due to the fact that mobile phones are one of the most personal devices and mobile marketing is using them as their communication channel. The purpose of this article is to synthesize the criteria for permission-based communication between companies and consumers. By establishing a constant bilateral communication flow with its customers, a company can leverage the interaction with its clients to new levels of trust and engagement. http://www.businessjournalz.org

RAJESH SRIVASTAVA (2012), the use of the mobile phone has been increasing rapidly. Pharmaceutical industry is beginning to leverage digital to build brand awareness. Pharmaceutical companies can now deliver product message through the usage of mobile directly to doctors. Research was conducted in Mumbai-financial capital in India with large doctors population. Doctors selected were general practitioners and consultants. They were selected at random basis. Objective was to find out the usage among busy doctors and how this tool can be useful to Pharmaceutical companies. Application of mobile marketing can be used as a tool to reach busy doctors .Gender, education, ease of application, type of practice, class of physicians and experience does influence its acceptance and utility of mobile. This study is a first attempt at testing the importance of mobile marketing in healthcare in improving communication between patients and doctors and how Pharmaceutical companies can bridge the gap. http://scialert.net

1.7 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: DEFINITION OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A careful investigation or enquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge. According to Redman and Mory research is a systemized effort to gain new knowledge. RESEARCH DESIGN: Research design is the blueprint for fulfilling research objectives and answering questions. Research design is define as the specification of methods and procedures employed for acquiring the information needed. It is a plan or framework for doing the study and collecting the data. RESEARCH APPROACH: The research approach adopted for the study was survey method. A measurement process using a highly structured interview. SAMPLING: Population

Population is an element about which we wish to make some inferences. All items under consideration in any field of enquiry constitute a population. It is also called universe. The population take for this study is infinite. Sampling The process of selecting some elements from a population to represent that population. 1. Sampling unit - Chennai. 2. Sample size - 100 samples

3. Sampling design- convenience sampling

DATA COLLECTION: There are two ways to collect data 1. Primary data. 2. Secondary data. Primary data Primary data are those which are collected afresh and for the first time. It can be obtained through observation or through direst communication. Primary data were collected through Questionnaire. Secondary data Secondary data are those data which results the study done by others and for different purposes than the one for which the data are being reviewed. Data Collection Instrument: The questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. The questionnaire is designed in a structured form to get unbiased information form the respondents.

The term questionnaire usually refers to a self administered process whereby the respondent himself reads the question and records his answers without the assistance of the interviewer. TOOLS USED FOR ANALYSIS: Percentage Analysis Chi Square Correlation

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study is based on the response of the respondent in the questionnaire; so it cannot be

taken to be the overall preference of the whole population.

The needs and preference of the respondents may change over time, so the survey results

may not hold for a long period of time.

CHAPTER 2

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

CHAPTER 2 - DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 4.1 PERCENTAGE ANALYSIS YAMEE CLUSTER IS KNOWN TO YOU BEFORE S.NO 1 2 ATTRUBUTES YES NO TOTAL RATING 100 0 100 PERCENTAGE 100 0 100

Table 1

Chart 1 INFERENCE: From the table, a majority of the people (100%) have answered that they doesnt know Yamee Technology before.

RECEIVING OF MAREKETING/PROMOTIONAL MESSAGES S.NO 1 2 3 4 ATTRUBUTES REGULARLY SOMETIMES OCCASIONALLY NEVER BEFORE TOTAL RATING 79 18 3 0 100 PERCENTAGE 79 18 3 0 100

Table 2

Chart 2 INFERENCE: From the table, a majority of the people (79%) have answered that they receive Marketing/Promotional Messages regularly.

ATTENTION GIVEN TO THOSE MESSAGES S.NO 1 2 3 4 ATTRUBUTES VERY OFTEN OFTEN SOMETIMES NOT OFTEN TOTAL RATING 12 5 11 72 100 PERCENTAGE 12 5 11 72 100

Table 3

Chart 3 INFERENCE: 72% of the people said that they dont give much importance to the messages. USEFULLNESS OF THE MARKETING MESSAGES S.NO 1 2 3 4 ATTRUBUTES VERY OFTEN OFTEN SOMETIMES NOT OFTEN TOTAL Table 4 RATING 11 15 71 3 100 PERCENTAGE 11 15 71 3 100

Chart 4

INFERENCE: 82% of the respondents found the messages are useful sometimes.

REASON BEHIND DELETING THE MESSAGES WITHOUT READING S.NO 1. 2. 3. ATTRUBUTES TOO LONG DID NOT CATER TO MY NEED WAS NOT INTERESTED IN THE PRODUCT/SERVICE 4. HAVE NOT DELETED WITHOUT 15 15 RATING 18 46 21 PERCENTAGE 18 46 21

READING TOTAL Table 5 100 100

Chart 5 INFERENCE: 46% of the respondents told that they deleted the message because it did not cater to their need.

SECTORS FORM WHICH MOST MESSAGES ARE RECIEVED S.NO 1. 2. 3. ATTRUBUTES TELECOM/INTERNET SECTOR SERVICE RELATED ELECTRONIC AND SOFTWARE RATING 43 12 28 PERCENTAGE 43 12 28

PRODUCTS 4. EDUCATIONAL TOTAL Table 6 17 100 17 100

Chart 6 INFERENCE: Majority of the Respondents (43%) have said that they received such messages from Telecom/Internet sector.

PREFERENCE OF SUCH MESSAGES IF THE PERSON'S NEED IS CATERED TO S.NO ATTRUBUTES RATING PERCENTAGE

1. 2. 3. 4.

YES DEFINITELY MAY BE SOMETIMES NO TOTAL

47 33 11 9 100

47 33 11 9 100

Table 7

Chart 7

INFERENCE: 47% of the Respondents said that they will definitely prefer such messages if it catered to their needs.

MESSAGES FROM PREFERRED FIELD S.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. ATTRUBUTES YES MAY BE SOMETIMES NO TOTAL Table 8 RATING 64 9 10 17 100 PERCENTAGE 64 9 10 17 100

Chart 8 INFERENCE: 64% of the Respondents said that they will definitely prefer messages from their preferred field.

NUMBER OF MESSAGES RECEIVED PER DAY S.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. ATTRUBUTES 0 TO 2 3 TO 5 6 TO 10 MORE THAN 10 TOTAL Table 9 RATING 63 18 19 0 100 PERCENTAGE 63 18 19 0 100

Chart 9

INFERENCE:

63% of the respondents answered that they receive between 0 to 2 messages per day.

FORWARD OF PROMOTIONAL MESSAGES S.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. ATTRUBUTES VERY OFTEN OFTEN AT TIMES NOT AT ALL TOTAL Table 10 RATING 0 14 4 82 100 PERCENTAGE 0 14 4 82 100

Chart 10

INFERENCE: From the Chart it is clear that majority of respondents (82%) do not forward such messages.

PURCHASE OF A PRODUCT WITH THE HELP OF PROMOTIONAL MESSAGES S.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. ATTRUBUTES REGULARLY SOMETIMES OCCASIONALLY DO NOT REMEMBER TOTAL Table 11 RATING 15 57 23 5 100 PERCENTAGE 15 57 23 5 100

Chart 11

INFERENCE: From the Chart, it can be seen that 57% of the respondents have purchased a product sometimes with the help of Promotional Messages.

USE OF A SERVICE WITH THE HELP OF PROMOTIONAL MESSAGES S.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. ATTRUBUTES REGULARLY SOMETIMES OCCASIONALLY DO NOT REMEMBER TOTAL Table 12 RATING 22 68 7 3 100 PERCENTAGE 22 68 7 3 100

Chart 12

INFERENCE: From the Chart, it can be seen that 68% of the respondents have used a service sometimes with the help of Promotional Messages.

SATISFACTION LEVEL OF THIS PROMOTIONAL MESSAGE (4 BEING THE HIGHEST AND 1 BEING THE LOWEST) S.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. ATTRUBUTES 4 3 2 1 TOTAL Table 13 RATING 14 37 38 11 100 PERCENTAGE 14 37 38 11 100

Chart 13

INFERENCE: A Majority (38%) of the respondents has given a rating of 2 for the satisfaction level of promotional messages on a scale of 1 to 4.

LIKE TO REGISTER WITH A BULK MESSAGE SENDER FOR GETTING PROMOTIONAL MESSAGES S.NO 1. 2. YES YES, ONLY IF THERE IS A LIMIT FOR THE NUMBER OF MESSAGES 3. YES, ONLY IF THE MESSAGE IS VERY USEFUL 4. NO TOTAL Table 14 18 58 100 18 58 100 24 24 ATTRUBUTES RATING 0 PERCENTAGE 0

Chart 14

INFERENCE: A Majority (58%) of the respondents did not want to register for a Bulk Message Service.

WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR GETTING OFFERS RELATED MESSAGES S.NO 1. 2. ATTRUBUTES YES YES, ONLY IF THE CHARGE IS NOMINAL 3. YES, ONLY IF THE MESSAGE IS VERY USEFUL 4. NO 27 62 27 62 11 11 RATING 0 PERCENTAGE 0

TOTAL Table 15

100

100

Chart 15 INFERENCE: A Majority (62%) of the respondents did not want to pay for getting offers related messages. USEFULNESS OF PROMOTIONAL MESSAGES S.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. ATTRUBUTES VERY USEFUL USEFUL LESS USEFUL UNWANTED RATING 17 28 44 11 PERCENTAGE 17 28 44 11

TOTAL Table 16

100

100

Chart 16

INFERENCE: From the Chart it is clear that majority of respondents (44%) have give that the promotional message are less useful.

HOW CLEAR IS THE CONTENT MENTIONED IN THAT PROMOTION MESSAGE S.NO 1. 2. ATTRUBUTES VERY CLEAR CLEAR RATING 15 34 PERCENTAGE 15 34

3. 4.

MODERATE NOT CLEAR TOTAL

38 13 100

38 13 100

Table 17

Chart 17

INFERENCE: A Majority (38%) of the respondents have given that the content of the promotional message are moderately clear.

CHAPTER 5 MAJOR FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS CHAPTER 5 MAJOR FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS 5.1 MAJOR FINDINGS: A majority (80%) of the surveyed population answered that they receive Marketing/Promotional Messages. 3 out of 4 persons give not much attention to such messages, but only 1 out of 10 persons neglects such messages. Almost 8 put of 10 people have found the messages useful with only 20% of the people have not found any message useful. A majority (36%) of the people delete the messages because of the fact that it did not cater to their needs. Telecom/Internet sector tops with 32% of the respondents answering that those where the sectors from which they got the highest number of messages, followed by Service sector (28%) and Real Estate (20%). 70% of the people preferred getting messages of their preferred field. 85% of the people have answered that they do not forward such messages. 2 in 5 of the respondents are ready to register for a bulk message sender under the condition that the messages must be limited. 44% of the respondents have given a rating of 3 in a scale of 1 to 5.

5.2 SUGGESTIONS: Messages must be sent keeping the target audience in mind. The Right Message for the Right Person would make it much better for both the company and the public. The messages must be short and should be in simple language so that it will reach the end consumer. The preference of the Customer could be got and messages regarding that sector should be sent to make better sense. Provision for limiting the number of messages must be given. Sending a large number of messages to a person must be avoided.
It must be seen that the message that is sent should cater to the needs of the customer.

CHAPTER 6 - CONCLUSION CHAPTER 6 - CONCLUSION

The emergence of SMS marketing is becoming very popular among the internet marketing experts due to a number of associated advantages. Being the most innovative communication technique among the people short messaging paves a right path for real time product publicity. A Study on the reach of SMS Marketing among Public makes sure that this marketing technique becomes helpful for both the companies and the Public.

ANNEXURE QUESTIONNAIRE Dear Sir/Madam, I am a management student undertaking the project. This exercise is a part of the project towards fulfilling the requirements of the management course. I would be obliged if you could provide me with some of your valuable time to answer a few questions. A STUDY ON THE REACH OF SMS MARKETING AMONG PUBLIC 1. NAME :

OCCUPATION

GENDER a. Male b. Female

AGE a. 18 to 25 b. 26 to 30 c. 31 to 35 d. 36 and above

FAMILY/INCOME/MONTHLY a. < 10,000 b. 10,001 to 15,000 c. 15,001 to 20,000 d. > 20,001 EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION a. School b. Diploma c. Under graduation d. Post graduation

2. Is YAMEE CLUSTER is known to you before? a. Yes b. No 3. Among the following, which service of YAMEE CLUSTER you are aware of?

Services

Professional service Web service Software service Design service

4. Do you receive Marketing/Promotional messages on your phone regularly? a. Regularly b. Sometimes c. Occasionally d. Never before

5. Do you pay attention to those messages? a. Very often b. Often c. Sometimes d. Not often 6. How frequently have you found those messages useful? a. Very Often b. often c. At times d. Never

7. What is the reason behind deleting those messages without reading if you have done so? a. Too long/ Found Confusing b. Did not cater to my need c. Was not interested in the product/service d. Have not deleted without reading

8. From which sector have you got most of such messages? a. Educational b. Telecom/Internet c. Electronic Products d. Others

9. Would you prefer such messages if it caters to your need? a. Yes definitely b. May Be c. Sometimes d. No

10. Would you like it even better if you are given an option to get messages associated with only your preferred field? a. Yes b. May Be c. Sometimes d. No 11. On an average, how many such messages do you receive per day? a. 0 to 2 b. 3 to 5 c. 6 to 10 d. More than 10

12. How often do you forward the Promotional Messages? a. Very often b. Often c. At times d. Less often

13. Have you made any purchase with the help of any Promotional message in the recent past? a. Regularly b. Sometimes c. Occasionally d. Do not Remember

14. Have you used any services with the help of any Promotional message in the recent past? a. Regularly b. Sometimes c. Occasionally d. Do not Remember

15. On a scale of 1 to 4, rate the satisfaction level of this promotional message for you?(4 being the highest and 1 being the lowest)

16. Would you like to register with a bulk message sender for getting such messages? a. Yes b. Yes, only if there is a limit for the number of messages c. Yes, only if the message is very useful d. No

17. Will you be ready to pay for getting messages to keep you informed about various offers going on? a. Yes b. Yes, only if the charge is nominal c. Yes, only if the message is very useful d. No

18. How useful is a promotional message for you? a. Very useful b. Useful c. Less useful d. Unwanted

19. How clear is the content mentioned in that promotion message? a. Very clear b. Clear c. Moderate d. Not clear 20. What new steps do you think should be taken to make the Promotional Messages more useful for Public? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

REFERENCE BOOKS:
1. Eddie C.M. Hui, Joe T.Y. Wong and K.T. Wong, Marketing Time and Pricing Strategies. 2. Gottfried gruber(2008), Pricing strategies in online and offline retailing institute of

management systems Vienna university of business administration.

3. Jasvinder Singh, Software Pricing Strategies University of Helsinki, Department of

Computer Science. 4. Kothari, C.R. Research Methodology, New Delhi, Vishwa Prakhasam Pvt Ltd, 1985. 5. Philip Kotler Marketing management London, prentice hall, Eighth Edition. 6. Research Methods for Business-Uma Sekaran 7. Wood, J. M. (2007, October 3). Understanding and Computing Cohens Kappa: A Tutorial.

WEB PAGES: www.wikipedia.com www.indusmobile.com www.managementparadise.com