ELLEgirl gets 'Mobotized,' and Invites Readers to 'Point, Click and Connect'
ELLEgirl Magazine (published by Hachette Filipacchi) and Mobot today announced a 12-month partnership to create “mobotized” advertisements for ELLEgirl. Mobot’s visual search and recognition technology solution combined with camera phones makes it fun, rewarding and easy, for ELLEgirl readers to interact with their favorite consumer brands, providing instant gratification to teens living the mobile lifestyle. “This partnership works well for ELLEgirl’s teen readers that use mobile phones daily,” said Russ Gocht, CEO of Mobot. “For the advertiser, each picture can launch a thousand possibilities.”
ELLEgirl’s mobotized ads create interactivity between their teen readers (the most active market for camera phone usage and text messaging in the US) and advertisers by allowing readers to take a picture of an ad with their camera phone and send it to Mobot with just a few keystrokes. Simply have to have that pair of shoes? Click a picture and Mobot sends you store locations. Click a picture of the girl in the red hat on page 48 and get entered to win a shopping spree. Readers can purchase products, get free samples or discounts, find store locations, or product information from the brands they select. Readers can also participate in unique promotions and games such as scavenger hunts and viral marketing campaigns sponsored by the brands using pictures, text messaging and their mobile phone.
“As the first teen magazine to use this technology, we’re thrilled to be able to provide our advertisers with new and fresh ways to send their messages to their target audience,” said Deborah Burns, VP/Publisher of ELLEgirl. “Mobot is ideal for marketers who want to develop deep relationships with customers and deliver measurable cross-media marketing campaigns. We are looking forward to developing innovative promotions throughout the next year.” For marketers, Mobot is a measurable launch point for integrated marketing campaigns that can now reach consumers through the device they carry constantly-their mobile phone. Jay Conrad Levinson, co-author of Guerilla Marketing says, “Camera cell phones…are now ubiquitous enough that advertisers can use them.” (USA Today 3/05). Mobot’s ability to measure response also fits the U.S. advertising industry trend of shifting dollars at
an increasing rate toward consumer-driven, accountable, and interactive means of reaching potential customers. Mobot is designed to allow brands and media partners to seamlessly introduce Mobot into the media mix and doesn’t require any modifications to existing visual media – no keywords, phone numbers, URLs, short codes, product codes, or bar codes are necessary. Mobot is easy to use, and requires only a few ‘clicks’ to complete a transaction. To ensure the widest user adoption, Mobot is available today on all national U.S. wireless carriers and works with all camera phones.
About ELLEgirl Magazine
ELLEgirl, the international style bible for girls who dare to be different, is published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., and is accessible on the web at http://www.ELLEgirl.com. ELLEgirl.com was recently listed in Media Metrix as one of the top ten teen sites, International editions include ELLEgirl United Kingdom, ELLEgirl South Korea, ELLEgirl Holland, ELLEgirl Quebec, ELLEgirl Taiwan, ELLEgirl Japan, ELLEgirl Russia, ELLEgirl France, ELLEgirl Germany and ELLEgirl China.
About Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
Hachette reaches nearly 50 million readers in the U.S. through its more than 20 titles which also include American Photo, Boating, Car and Driver, Cycle World, ELLE, ELLE Decor, ELLEgirl, Flying, For Me, Home, Metropolitan Home, Popular Photography & Imaging, Premiere, Road & Track, Road & Track Road Gear, Road & Track Speed, Sound & Vision, Woman’s Day and Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications such as, Kitchens & Baths, Home Remodeling & Makeovers, and Budget Decorating Ideas. In addition to the magazines, Hachette includes book and custom publishing, integrated marketing, database and market research, as well as Hachette Enterprises. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., is the New York-headquartered subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Medias S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardere SCA. The Hachette web site address is http://www.hfmus.com.
About Mobot
Mobot is the leader in visual search and recognition technology that makesmarketing effective and innovative using mobile devices. Launched in 2004 tohelp companies cultivate rewarding relationships with the world’s 1.5 billionmobile phone users, Mobot gives marketers, content providers and carriers thetools to make it easy for any consumer with a mobile device to interact withtheir environment. For more information about Mobot, please visithttp://www.mobot.com.