Safaricom launches Skiza advertising platform for SMEs

 

Safaricom has launched a new Skiza Advertising platform that aims to provide SMEs the opportunity to advertise their services. 

Customers will subscribe to the service by dialing *897# to enroll, upon which they will hear adverts in place of the ringing tone as they wait for the customer they are calling to pick up.

Enrolled customers will receive free 5 MB data or free 1-minute calling time for every three adverts listened to for more than six seconds each.

Customers will need to dial *897# to view their accumulated resources and to either redeem them for data or minutes, both with no expiry.

The accumulated minutes and data are valid until first day of every month and once redeemed assume a no-expiry validity on the customer’s line.

The short code equally empowers a customer to opt-in and opt-out of the service at any time, with customers who unsubscribe keeping accumulated resources to the first day of the following month.

“The Skiza Ad Service is an exciting innovation that seeks to provide an excellent platform for businesses across the country by better connecting them with customers and equally taking advantage of our wide reach," CEO Peter Ndegwa said.

"The platform will deliver to our customers even more value through free data and minutes whenever they enroll and listen to advertisements from our partners."

The service is offered in partnership with Adtones, who will provide the ad-serving platform and on-board advertisers.

"The platform will benefit millions of Safaricom customers with rewards and useful media information, " Adtones founders Ben Lynch and Gaspare Manos said.

“We are particularly proud to help thousands of Kenya entrepreneurs who will be using this new means of interacting and communicating with their target audiences in a transparent, cost effective and rewarding manner".

The new service will drive customer retention by providing a value-added service that supports customers with free data and minutes especially when they are unable to purchase airtime.

Adverts will be served at random to enrolled customers across the country.