SMS GupShup, India’s largest social SMS network today got Shibani Kashyap, prominent singer-cum-music director from the bollywood industry at their office in Powai as she officially launched her fan community for engaging with her music admirers on mobile. She was further joined by Tele star Vishal Singh from “Kuch is Tarah “& DJ Aman. The aim was to acquaint them on how to get closer to their fans and keep them posted.
The event started with stars interacting with their fans live on their SMS Gupshup communities by sending sms to their fan clubs and addressing fan questions. Vishal Singh entertained the audience enacting the most popular scene from his serial with Shibani which was later joined by DJ Aman inviting the GupShup team toVIP Nights at Hi Lounge, Sahara Star. People were thrilled to hear ‘Zinda hun main’ and ‘Sajna aa bhi jaa’ from talented Shibani live at their office.
Fan clubs on SMS GupShup are picking up momentum as celebrities from all walks of life find a novel way of connecting and engaging with their fans on the go. Actors, singers, fashion designers, stylists keep in touch with thousands of fans through mobile communities, micro-blogging about their life and interests via sms. It is simple, quick and a direct channel to their fans.
Beerud Sheth, CEO says: GupShup is a perfect medium for celebs to engage with their fans and we see many celebs adopting the platform. Whether you’re glamorous or geeky, this is the perfect medium to connect with friends and fans.
Shibani Kashyap excitedly added: I’m impressed how easy and effective this is. I can directly message my fans anywhere and anytime. I’d love to hear what fans have to say about my new album.
Launched in April 2007, SMS GupShup now serves 26 million users in over 2 million communities – double the number of communities supported just six months ago. These communities range from religious groups to sports teams to celebrities. Whether it’s daily poems, traffic reports or tribal news, GupShup is the centerpiece of connectivity in India. Over 100 advertisers currently run on the network including local insurance provider ICICI Lombard and international brands like Puma, Microsoft and Cadbury.
The company is growing at a rapid pace and now accounts for 5% of all text messages sent in India. Earlier this year, the company inked a deal with Facebook to enable Indian Facebook users to go mobile.
The mobile subscriber base in 2013 is set to exceed 771 million in India, according to Gartner Inc, and 5.8 billion globally, according to Portio Research.
The stars signed special memorabilia which will be given away to their fans.