Earlier this month, Virgin Mobile USA abruptly switched off their Sugar Mama platform, leaving thousands in the lurch.
Clearly there was something afoot behind the scenes. A representative from Virgin Mobile USA (VMU) claimed that it was Technical Difficulties that caused the demise of ending this program, but peeling back some the layers, the conclusion is more about a vendor issue. But a few weeks after the news broke, it seems the be escalating into a lawsuit. The service has been around for almost 3 years and has delivered over nine million minutes to VMU subscribers.
And to twist and turn this story even more, Sprint acquiring Virgin Mobile USA in an effort to consolidate the Prepaid Subscribers from Boost and VMU marks some larger trends happening.
What Does This All Mean?
People are very clever and will seek out other sources to get their fix. But it also shows that with 3 million minutes delivered a year, from just one mobile operators, clearly there is a lot of potential for adopting of this in a big way. And even for post-paid customers, there is a lot of potential, particularly by helping to offset the costs for premium service and content.
The other takeaway from this is the fact that people, given properly incentives, will give you their thoughts and opinions, in exchange for a some products or services you have. The Millennial Generation has been categorized as apt to openly express thoughts and opinions. Social media seems to be a popular medium to speak up and let everyone know what you think. So it’s a two pronged attack, both with their comments on the Internet and with their Wallets
Other companies have tried to completely offer a free mobile phone service, such as XeroMobile and Blyk, but have found that the spreadsheet on paper is difficult to live up to after launch of the real thing. So perhaps the evolving trend of FREEMIUM is starting to trend towards real goods and services like mobile phone service.
So Now What?
Well, it doesn’t look like Sugar Mama will be resurrected anytime soon. Not to worry, Embee Mobile might be your answer with our Mobile Wallet application on Facebook. And it’s not just for VMU subscribers. We support 20 Prepaid Mobile Operators in the United States, like AT&T, T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, and more.
Tags: advertising, embee mobile, minutes, mobile, Prepaid, Sugar Mama, Virgin Mobile
BillM 
