Bubble Motion is adding some new services in the voice SMS category. Based on its BubbleTalk platform, the new services include BubbleCast for one-to-many broadcasting; BubbleSong for song dedication; and BubbleContest for contests featuring user-generated content.

BubbleCast enables mobile operators, content providers and advertisers to send premium voice and audio content to end-users. BubbleCast is the most mature of the new services and already is being used, according to Tom Clayton, CEO and president of Bubble Motion.

Some of the use cases may involve signing up for messages from a sports hero or celebrity, so the consumer gets voice messages from them. Another big use case is mobile advertising, so a bank, for example, can use it to send blasts to potential customers who opt in. Bubble Motion has seen retrieval rates range from 22% to 30%, he said.

Bubble Motion is working with carriers in markets around the world. India has been “tremendously” successful, he said. (You can view an Indian TV commercial here.) In some markets, the cost of sending a voice SMS is similar to SMS and in other markets, Bubble Motion charges a premium, with the idea being it is much faster to send a 30-second message with voice than it is to text it. So if an SMS costs 10 cents, Bubble Motion will charge 12 cents for a “bubble.” 

Through a series of tactics, Bubble Motion is able, with 70%-80% accuracy, determine who is listening to bubbles and when, he said.