Calling all young adults

Young adults are using wireless phones and services more than ever, and wireless carriers are vying to win their hearts and wallets. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that this week, Sprint PCS (www.sprintpcs.com) announced its first joint-venture offer with Virgin Mobile targeting — drumroll, please … young adults 15 to 30.

The formation of Virgin Mobile USA (www.virginmobileusa.com) through the joint venture creates a new national wireless carrier targeting the U.S. 15- to 30-year-old consumer market. Virgin Mobile USA expects to launch its services in select markets and complete a nationwide rollout during the first half of 2002. And first up, pay-as-you-go wireless services and handsets for the U.S. market under the Virgin Mobile brand using Sprint PCS’ nationwide wireless network. “(The Virgin Group’s) focus on pay-as-you-go wireless service for young Americans under the age of 30 should allow Sprint PCS to quickly and cost effectively penetrate this market segment in a way that is complimentary to our efforts,” said Charles E. Levine, Sprint PCS president.

Sprint expects Virgin’s youth-oriented brand to add users to its network and capture a larger percentage of the young adult market. Virgin Mobile USA will target young Americans between 15 and 30 by providing pay-as-you-go services including long-distance and nationwide coverage as well as Virgin Xtras, a set of entertainment- and media-focused features. Virgin Mobile USA products and services will be distributed nationally through retailers that focus on serving the under-30 consumer market. But Virgin Mobile said it will venture outside traditional retail settings, targeting places young people shop and have fun.

But Sprint hasn’t cornered the U.S. youth market yet. The Strategis Group (www.strategisgroup.com) expects the 15- to 19-year-old wireless consumer market to increase 184% by 2007, and predicts the 20- to 29-year-old wireless consumer market will jump 93% during the same time.

And every U.S. carrier is aware of the potential.

This week, Verizon Wireless (www.verizonwireless.com) launched FREE [2]TLK, a new Web site and online campaign with product and entertainment options for late teen/young adult wireless users. The site, (www.free2tlk.com), leverages the brand and entertainment appeal of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment (SPDE) (www.sonypictures.com) online entertainment assets, comes on the heels of the carrier’s launch of [FREEUP], its service package designed for young adults 16 to 24 that bundles nationwide voice service, 2-way text messaging and voice mail. The marketing initiative includes SPDE’s branded entertainment properties popular with young adults including Dawson’s Desktop, which receives 26 million page views each month, Dawson’s Creek.com and online gaming site The Station@sony.com. The campaign will feature creative online and offline extensions, including wireless “Dawson’s Creek” updates and the use of odd-sized ad units and interstitials to reinforce the message and drive traffic. The FREE [2] TLK Web site is designed to be sticky with opportunities to win free Sony Discman disc players and Sony movie tickets. As a reward for making an online purchase through the Web site, users receive a free copy of Sony Music’s “Now 6” CD, a compilation of hits from popular music artists.

Some of the site’s features include: contests where users can compete for cool prizes; text-messaging speed games; cool links from site partners; the latest wireless service promotions; and survey sites. Verizon has devoted a large portion of its fall marketing campaign to the young consumer segment, which totals about 34 million people in the United States today.

In addition to selling wireless phones and service plans in more than 200 Barnes & Noble-operated (www.barnesandnoble.com) college bookstores, Cingular Wireless (www.cingularwireless.com) recently announced the availability of more than 30 downloadable college fight song ringtones. Another offer in a suite of targeted initiatives in Cingular’s youth strategy, the list of fight songs soon will increase to almost 200 U.S. institutions.

No doubt the percentage of carriers’ young-adult users will soon begin to increase, as well.