"It all started with the humble Please Call Me," explains Palmi. "As a young African, all I wanted to do was talk to my family and friends. We used Please Call Me messages all the time. We didn't have much money for loads of airtime - but even a quick way to communicate or say "hello" was very valuable to us. For example, one Please Call Me message signalled that we were outside, two meant we wanted to talk but didn't have airtime, and three meant that the matter was urgent."

"Later on, when I was more accomplished and had access to a great mobile marketing platform, I had the idea of extending this Please Call Me idea. I am, of course, also an entrepreneur - so I spent some time thinking about how I could help big brands and low-income consumers at the same time. The idea was simple: help big retail and lifestyle brands who target lower LSM consumers to get their message across by enabling them to sponsor consumers' phone calls to friends and family."

The idea proved to be a winner, with Palmi's digital marketing agency JustPalm.com having some great success with a number of retail and lifestyle brands in South Africa and beyond.

Why does sponsoring calls work so well?

 Palmi attributes his success to date to:

  • It's a naturally viral idea. One person uses their free call, the person they call is encouraged to take an action that will give them a free call too, and so it continues;
  • Having a really good understanding of the target market and being able to marry their needs with the needs of the brands who target them;
  • It's easily measurable. "We know exactly how many people redeem their free calls, so we can see how popular the idea is. And if the strategy is to play a quick audio message before the call connects, we know that everyone who redeemed their call (as well as whoever they called) heard the advert;
  • It's much more cost-effective than traditional advertising, which makes it less of a risk for brands to experiment with; and
  • It's perfect for low-income earners who may not have internet access or a feature phone.

"At the end of the day," says Palmi, "sponsored call marketing is so successful because it gives both sides something they value. One-way advertising is no longer effective. Brands need to innovate. They need to truly put consumers first."

For more information visit www.justpalm.com. Alternatively connect with them on Twitter.