For the mobile providers and their partners in business the above was a very brilliant idea which continues to reap harvest after harvest.
I am yet to waste my SMS but yesterday Hubby’s interest was caught by the cricket match (the one that was lost to Aussies) and I got to see yet another such call on TV. I believe it was the Bindaas Khel by the Indiatimes (Times Group) whereby one could win the following prizes by answering a few questions and these answers are to be SMS’d at premium rates.
Daily Prizes: Daily 5- Gold worth Rs. 1,000 each
Bumper Prize: Bumper- Gold worth Rs. 125,000
The site does give enough warnings and disclaimers which take out every kind of responsibility and those who indulge in messaging can do so even if they have closed the contest before a winner is even announced.
TIL expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. Neither does TIL make any warranty that the items / products made available under the contest will meet your requirements, or the delivery of the item / product will be timely, secure, nor is TIL responsible for any damages done in transit.
TIL reserves the rights to terminate / suspend the Contest at any time and/or withdraw, or extend the Contest without any prior notice and no correspondence in this regard shall be entertained.
If the above is in hope of winning a prize for oneself there is yet another by the Reality TV shows where your SMS will decide the winner (so they claim).
The one from Kerala called Idea Star Singer (Asianet Channel along with Idea Cellular Limited) has been very successful and continues to keep millions glued onto their televisions sets and many among them faithfully send their SMS too. This year’s grand prize will be a Rs 1 crore villa.
Is it the love for art or a personal desire to make the contestant win that makes a person part with an SMS?
I am sure there are individuals and groups sending their requests to friends and co-workers (I myself have received emails) for a particular contestant and this may eventually influence the decisions of many.
Whether it is out of selfish interest or selfless interest, it has been proved beyond doubt that enough and more money can be amassed for a cause through SMS.
The below is an excerpt from broadbandindia.com
At the end of Aug-2008, the top 5 GSM Mobile Service Providers in India based on no. of subscribers are,
• Bharti Airtel -74.8 mn
• Vodafone - 52.8 mn
• BSNL - 38.5 mn
• Idea Cellular - 29.3 mn
• Aircell - 13.1 mn
If the following news is to be believed,
By 2010 the Number of Mobile Subscribers is Expected to Increase to 348 Million in India!
This set me thinking as to why our NGO’s or even the mobile providers themselves are not teaming up for special projects.
Or have they already?
If one is ready to part with their SMS without much ado won’t a lot more do if a specific cause or a project is featured.
Right now I can think of Projectwhy which could use a lot of help in this manner. Let those who are conducting the business along with the mobile providers take their share, still there should be enough for any project in our country. (Of course one can have the normal checks and balances too.)
But this excericise would also have involved millions in the process of giving for a good cause.
