100 million instant messages sent on Three UK in 3 months

Link: Finance News | Instant Messenger boom on 3

If you recall, I posted this note about Three UK’s MSN Messenger marketing strategy. In short, I thought it was genius to align themselves with a brand so readily known to anyone who uses the internet.

So here’s part of an article posted on Easier.com News with some meaty stats:

Since launching mobile MSN Instant Messenger (now called ‘Windows Live Messenger’) this summer, 3 has seen over 100 million instant messages sent since 1 August; an average of over 1 million instant messages each day as users take part in conversations they’d otherwise miss when they’re out and about.

I wonder just how much this is canibalising their text revenue? 100 million messages sent? Gosh. That sounds like a lot. It’d be interesting to learn how many *users* that figure equates to. 50,000? 100,000? More?

3’s statistics show that peak messaging time is from 11pm to 2am, proving that being out on the town is no longer a reason for going offline.

That is fascinating. I wonder how people are using the medium. Is it, I wonder, replacing the constant to-and-fro of texting for many? Or is it acting as a substitute for being in front of the computer?

Graeme Oxby, 3 UK, Marketing Director said: ‘We have been watching with interest at how quickly the super-connected generation has adopted instant messaging on their mobiles.

Watching with interest or with mild panic? 😀 I think it’s the right way to go, even if it is eating into text revenues. It’s where the market is moving. Paying 10p to send 160 characters is so 1990s.

Our core user group of 16 to 24 year olds spend a large proportion of time online and happily use a mix of instant messenger, texting and mobile calls depending on what suits them at that particular time.

One imagines that giving customers ‘free’ MSN should increase ARPU on other data and related services as you convert them over to the new medium.