From PortlandAfoot

Mobile Marketing LLC is a Beaverton-based ad company that designed and provides an ad-supported text message service for the TriMet Transit Tracker. It began offering the service on a 12-month trial basis in August 2010.

[edit] Plans to expand

Mobile Marketing Chief Operating Officer Larry Lee said in August 2010 that Mobile Marketing could bring in $10,000 a month in Portland during the first year of its service, by selling ads targeted to the ZIP code level. If that works, he said, the company would expand the service to other markets. He said Denver's RTD contacted Mobile Marketing in the first week of Portland's service, expressing interest in it.

Lee said Mobile Marketing was charging $2,000 to each of several advertisers for its two-month "beta" phase. TriMet was to receive an undisclosed cut of the revenue, at least during the trial.

Mobile Marketing has already assembled a software package that can let advertisers automatically purchase and design ad campaigns to the block level, Lee said.

If Mobile Marketing pulls out of the deal, Lee said, its contract will give TriMet the right to buy the service itself.

TriMet Business Systems Analyst Jeff Frane said that because of volume, Mobile Marketing's cost per text message is "about a penny," compared to five cents or so for TriMet.

[edit] History

Mobile Marketing was founded in 2005. Lee said in August 2010 that the company is profitable.