Hearst Corp. has partnered with Bango Inc. and Volantis to extend its multimedia strategy to the mobile environment, targeting young women ages 12 to 34 with a variety of free and premium content such as wallpapers, ringtones, articles and horoscopes.
The offerings, geared to increase readership, build brand support and uncover new revenue, will be available off-net to any U.S.-based subscriber via a surfable mobile portal enabled by Bango.
Also, Sprint-Nextel Corp. and Cingular Wireless users can access the content directly from the carriers’ walled garden decks. The media giant is using Volantis' Mobile Content Framework, carrier development and deployment software for creating content-based, transactional and commerce applications that automatically support and are optimized for 2,100+ consumer devices.
For off-deck access, consumers obtain and pay for content directly from the mobile phone by texting a short code (promoted on full-page ads in the magazines); in return, they receive a link to the Bango-enabled mobile Internet site, where they can browse and buy from a range of mobile consumables, plus content such as fashion and beauty tips designed specifically for them. Bango detects which network and device the user is on and optimizes the experience accordingly. Also, it allows the user to bill transactions to their wireless phone bill.
“The user experience is truly mobile because the entire process takes place on the handset – no PC is required,” said Anil Malhotra, Bango vice president of alliances.
"We are thrilled to provide women with the opportunity to have even easier, always-on access to their favorite information sources for fashion, fun and other lifestyle trends," said Glen Ellen Brown, vice president of Hearst brand development. “By expanding into the mobile marketplace, we’re giving Cosmopolitan, CosmoGIRL! and Seventeen readers instant access to what they love on their phone.”
Bango Inc. www.bango.com
Cingular Wireless www.cingular.com
Hearst Corp. www.hearst.com
Sprint-Nextel Inc. www.sprint.com
Volantis www.volantis.com
