MTS claims it will launch an advertising service targeting Russian Telegram users, but the social messaging application denies it has any agreements in place.
MTS says it will create an advertising business that targets Telegram users in Russia, although Telegram denies such agreements are in place. On October 17, the business announced the introduction of advertising services for clients that would target audiences from particular channels, categories, interests, and geolocations.
The service specifically targets Russian operator phone numbers, according to MTS. According to Remi Vaughn, a spokeswoman for Telegram, none of Russia’s businesses, including MTS, have agreed to any ad-related agreements with the company:
“They may be accessing Telegram ad platform features via one of the global ad agencies we work with, but we can confirm that no partnership or agreement exists between Telegram and MTS.”
The new service, which MTS unveiled in full, boasts the promotion of messages, groups, and bots with links inside Telegram as well as messages with connections to outside sources in Telegram Ads, allowing users to be taken to outside websites and applications.
MTS defined the service as a way to make Telegram “into a performance tool with a high level of trust” that might reach a daily audience of 55 million Russians.
The debut of the service would enable clients to target Telegram users based on a range of external user data, said MTS Advertising Director Elena Melnikova in a statement:
“Russian businesses and advertising agencies will be able to launch advertising in Telegram based on external data – MTS Big Data segments, their own CRM systems based on phone numbers.”
The program also boasts the absence of a minimum spending limit, allowing customers to build and run advertisements for any sum. For small and medium-sized organizations, the cost per message to their own databases is fixed at 90 kopecks ($0,0092).
Additionally, according to MTS, all advertisements placed in Telegram Ads using its MTS Marketer service adhere to Russian advertising regulations. MTS provides service to over 80 million members through its Russian mobile business.
