Mention telco advertising and many marketers picture a promotional SMS blasted to an entire database. The inventory I am talking about here is something else entirely: the operator’s own channels, with verified subscribers, where the message lands directly on the phone or in the operator’s app.
We work with five formats. Each one plays a different role in a campaign.
Direct messaging channels have delivered some of the highest engagement rates on mobile for years. The practical question is where each format fits in the campaign.
1. VMS: Visual Messaging in the Native Messaging App
VMS adds a visual layer to the SMS experience: an image, a headline, a description and an action button, delivered in the native messaging app. The native inbox has one of the highest open rates of any mobile channel, with read rates several times higher than the feeds people scroll through quickly.
In a single campaign, a beauty retailer ran on a segment of active shoppers in the category and achieved a 13.8% CTR, with 83% more interactions than the demographically targeted variant in the same test, and a 3.8% conversion rate. In gaming and entertainment campaigns in Bolivia and Ecuador, CTR ranged between 15% and 18%.
For a fintech product in the Middle East, the figures were between 8% and 10%. The differences between categories come down to how well the format, the segment and the activation timing fit together. That is why we ask for a joint discussion of all three, right from the brief.
When to use it: launches, retail, FMCG, app installs, high-reach offers. What your brief needs: a clear promise, a visual that works on a small screen, a single CTA and a mobile-optimised landing page.
2. Push+: The Message for a Short Window
Push+ notifications are sent through the operator’s app, with a deep link straight to the product page or the offer. The path to conversion shrinks to a single tap, and the format becomes powerful when it is tied to a trigger: geo-presence in a retail area, or a segment-level signal pointing to an active buying window.
To prevent it from becoming tiresome, we use three mechanisms. First, we cap the number of notifications per interval. We also exclude over-contacted segments and select delivery windows based on campaign type and local regulations.
When to use it: proximity retail, travel, automotive, app reactivation, lead generation. What your brief needs: the trigger, the time window, the maximum frequency, the CTA and the exclusion rule for people who have already converted.
3. In-App Display & Video: Presence in an Authenticated Environment
This format appears in the operator’s own apps, in sessions linked to authenticated subscribers. It works with banners or video and covers both awareness and conversion actions.
The advantage is a controlled context. The inventory belongs to the operator, the risk of an ad appearing next to unpredictable content is minimal, and segments can be applied at impression level.
When to use it: awareness, launches, the consideration stage, campaigns where brand safety matters. What your brief needs: the funnel objective, the creative format, the audience and the action you want after the impression.
4. RCS: An Interactive Experience in the Messaging App
RCS brings cards, carousels, action buttons and verified sender identity into the native messaging channel. The experience comes close to a mini app, without the user having to install anything. We use it for catalogues, bookings, confirmations and campaigns where people have a few actions to choose from.
We are often asked about OTT messaging apps. Technically they can be integrated, but our priority remains the operator’s channels, where the audience is verified and delivery is controlled. When a campaign calls for a real conversation, we go with voice.
5. Voice: When the Decision Starts With a Conversation
TrueSignal Acquire uses an AI agent that calls the eligible segment, holds a short conversation in the local language and immediately sends an SMS with the link or the offer. Niche-specific training allows agents to answer questions on the spot. As a result, conversations last more than 90 seconds on average. Recorded messages cannot do this.
In campaigns to date, response rates have ranged between 35% and 55%, and 4% to 8% of contacted leads go on to convert. It works best in fintech, insurance and real estate, where leads are expensive and the decision starts with a conversation. Voice qualifies, SMS closes.
Why Ad Blockers Cannot Stop These Formats
Ad blockers detect tags, scripts and ad server requests on a web page. None of that exists here: delivery happens through the operator’s network, in the native messaging app or in notifications. There is nothing to load, so there is nothing to block. In practice, paid reach stays equal to delivered reach, including in younger and more tech-savvy segments, where blocking ads is a habit.
One clarification that matters for perception: none of these formats is a mass promotional SMS. Every one of them is activated on eligible segments, built from segment-level network signals, in line with the marketing preferences agreed between the operator and the subscriber.
How to choose the right telco advertising format
Start from the action you want and from how complex the next step is. VMS for visual reach and a direct CTA. Push+ for a short intent window. In-App for awareness and consideration in a controlled environment. RCS for an interactive experience. Voice for leads that need a dialogue. Quite often the best answer is a combination: VMS for first contact, Push+ as a reminder and Voice for qualification.
Whatever the format, one thing stays constant: what we sell, first and foremost, is results. In the final article I bring all the pieces together into a process that runs from brief to result, and explain where we stand in Romania.
Contact us to set up a TrueSignal campaign for your company or for your agency’s clients.
