New Mobile Ad Platform Seeks To Remove Consumer Download Costs In Developing Countries

Boston startup Jana Mobile has released a marketing platform with the help of Unilever and other major consumer goods and Internet companies that puts short video and app ads onto the phones of consumers without download costs to the user. A payment is credited to the user’s mobile account to cover the cost of consuming the content. The platform is designed to help advertisers reach millions of potential customers in developing countries who buy pre-paid phone time in small chunks. Though the approach, tested for 30 days by Unilever, is promising, it is plagued by technical problems like slow download speeds and weak infrastructure.