This post is intended as a case study of Blyk. What is Blyk you might ask. Well Blyk is the first ad-driven mobile operator that I know of. I first heard of Blyk in November 2006 when there were rumors somebody from Nokia is planning to start an ad-driven MVNOin the UK. A little while later Blyk’s website and blog appeared.

So how does Blyk differ from other mobile operators. Blyk (pronounced:blɪk) is a free mobile phone network exclusively for 16-24 year olds. Free? Yes, free! Well it depends on how you define free, let’s say you don’t have to pay anything.

You might argue that there Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. You are right. Blyk serves (spams) you with six (6) advertising messages a day. What is more is that you can select the brands yourself. This brings a new dimension to the concept. It is much like lifestyle magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Gloss and others. You actually want to get the message from the brand because it is part of your lifestyle and therefor represents a piece of information.

Blyk is also distinguished by the age restriction that it operates for its membership. The 16-24 age range is exclusive and applied by means of ID checks with several national databases during sign up. Members who join before turning 25 are not removed from the network when they do so, but are unable to rejoin if they leave.

Blyk is the brainchild of two Finns, Pekka Ala-Pietilä (formerly president of Nokia) and Antti Öhrling (chairman of the Contra advertising group). Its headquarters are in Helsinki but it also has an office in London. In October 2007, Shaun Gregory was appointed UK CEO.

Short after launch in September 2007 Blyk ran an online advertising campaign via Blyk’s YouTube channel. Videos were produced by students. Here is an example:

Blyk is carried by Orange UK. The technology behind the advertising is provided by First Hop.

The service launch was covered by mainstream business media such as Business Week and others.

Finally, I found an interview with Blyk’s founder and CMO. Definitely worth watching if you are interested in the concept. Enjoy ;)