Wireless Watch for September 9, 2004

Jane Magazine to Readers: Photograph our Ads

Mobot Inc. has introduced a new camera phone-based service for which Jane Magazine is the first client. The company expects the new service to help Jane‘s print ads better grab readers’ attention.

In the “Jane Talks Back” promotion, readers use their camera phone to snap a picture of an ad that interests them and send it to Mobot. In response, they receive tailored offers, samples or discounts from the brand featured there. Mobot says the system is inherently spam-free because it connects people only with brands of their choosing.

The promotion begins with Jane’s September issue; users can interact with a total of 59 brands.

“We are thrilled to be the premiere media partner for the Mobot launch,” said Eva Dillon, VP and publisher of Jane. “We are always looking for the newest way to connect to our…audience. And since we know they are attached at the hip to their mobile phones, Mobot was perfect. We were able to get our readers great offers from our advertisers in seconds.”

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Enpocket Upgrades Engine

Mobile marketing firm Enpocket has released version 4.0 of its mobile marketing engine, which is used to support wireless campaigns in SMS, Brew, WAP and other formats.

Enhancements include support for multimedia messaging service (MMS), allowing the transmission of graphic and audio files; new APIs that integrate with clients’ enterprise systems; and customizable views for delivery and reporting of mobile campaigns.

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SMS Media Group Picks Up Clients

Two companies tapped text messaging list aggregator SMS Media Group. Games Inc. chose the company to provide state lottery results; and U.K.-based Russell Grant Astrology selected the firm to provide daily astrology alerts. SMS Media Group is providing its services free in exchange for an ad placement on each message.

The company insists it uses a confirmed opt-in. “The carriers will not tolerate any spam on their networks,” said President Gary Brooks.