Mobile phones help with charitable giving thanks to Tanla Mobile

London, UK; 14th October 2008: The ever-popular ‘Poppy Download’ returns for this year’s Poppy Appeal as Tanla Mobile has been chosen by The Royal British Legion to run the mobile phone element of their 2008 Poppy Appeal.

Poppy Downloads allow members of the public to make a donation using their mobile phones and in exchange receive a poppy for their mobile phone wallpaper.

The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal is one of the best known and supported campaigns in the country. Its aim is to raise funds to support the Legion’s work in providing financial, social and emotional support to people who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces, and their dependants.

For the first time, The Royal British Legion is including a short-code number on their nationwide poster campaign, inviting people to show their support by texting ‘POPPY’ to 80848 to make a £1.50 donation. Alternatively, donations of up to £10 using Payforit (WAP) billing can be made by visiting the popular internet portals 3 and Vodafone, via www.poppy.org, which are supporting the campaign.

“We wanted the mobile phone to play a more prominent role in this year’s Poppy Appeal and needed to work with an experienced mobile specialist who are comfortable providing the mobile technology for a high-profile, national campaign,” said Russell Thompson OBE, Director of National Events and Fund raising at The Royal British Legion.

He added: “Tanla Mobile understood how much value mobile phones can add to a campaign, 80848 is a dedicated charity code set up by Tanla that allows The Royal British Legion to take advantage of all charitable donations by SMS.”

Louise Ford, Tanla’s UK Head of Sales, commented: “We are very excited to be working on the Poppy Appeal with The Royal British Legion; providing a fully-managed service that includes billing, content management, mobile portal creation and a customer service helpdesk. Including a mobile element as part of the overall campaign will work very well. It is a straightforward, convenient way for people to donate, and is also a great way to encourage the younger generation to make a contribution. The Poppy Appeal is one of the best known and supported campaigns in the UK and we are very proud to be associated with it.”

Ends
Notes to Editors:
Tanla Mobile

Tanla Mobile is a global provider of mobile commerce, mobile marketing, mobile entertainment and mobile internet solutions to the Telecommunications, Media and Digital Content industries. Tanla specialises in developing customised mobile applications, platforms and services for organisations who want to create a mobile strategy or channel.

Tanla Mobile has revenue-sharing partnerships and messaging connectivity with global mobile operators and delivers services across Europe, North America and Asia.
The company provides interactive platforms, 3G video calling, interactive TV, campaign management, content management, mobile payments and global messaging services, enabling brands to launch end-to-end commercial mobile services. Tanla Mobile is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tanla Solutions Ltd, a company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange in India.
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion protects the interests, welfare and memory of British serving and ex-Service people and their dependants. Around 10.5 million people - of all ages - are eligible to approach the Legion for support. Our charitable work covers a range of services including grant-making to those in need, pensions and benefits advice, vocational assessment and careers advice, home and hospital visits as well as the provision of full nursing care.

This year the Legion hopes to raise £32 million with its Poppy Appeal.

For Further information
Lee McElhinney
Head of Marketing, UK
Tanla Mobile
Tel: 20 7494 5600
Email: lee.mcelhinney[at]tanla[dot]com
www.tanla.com

Colin Joseph
Public Relations Officer
The Royal British Legion
Tel:                020 7302 7133         
Email: cjoseph[at]britishlegion.org[dot]uk

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Nicky Davis
Tel: +44 7747 017654
nicky[at]neondrum[dot]com