Ring Back Tones with a Continental Twist

European analyst Thomas Husson at JupiterResearch posts his thoughts on Ring Back Tones (RBT). He notes that for people experiencing them for the first time there might be confusion especially when combined with voicemail greetings. On the current market, Husson states:

In order to lower promotional costs, mobile operators relied too heavily on RBT to gain organic adoption through its self generating viral marketing effect. This is double-edged sword: "word of mouth" could also damage the reputation of this nascent market and kill the service before its first breath.

However, if marketed correctly, mobile operators and record labels could benefit from increasing revenues. Best practices and disruptive techniques have been used successfully by some carriers and could be implemented easily.