Global Hyatt Corp.'s Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has tapped Microsoft for a mobile advertising campaign on the Verizon Wireless network.

The mobile advertising display campaign is designed to drive people to register for the Hyatt Gold Passport frequent guest rewards program and encourage people to visit Hyatt's new, fully-functional mobile Web site using their mobile phone.

"With Verizon Wireless, we can reach 86 million subscribers, and Hyatt is taking advantage of our Verizon inventory for this particular initiative getting consumers to book rooms and check in and out using their mobile phone," said Charles Johnson, general manager of Microsoft Mobile Advertising, Redmond, WA.

"The mobile device is the one experience that you have with you all the time, and the mobile medium is ideal for driving awareness, purchase intent and getting consumers to actually buy a product or service," he said.

"We're helping advertisers reach the right customer at the right time with the right value, and we're also working with the carriers and the OEMs, because they help guide us to provide the experiences they want their customers to have."

The goal is to provide Verizon Wireless customers with a faster and more convenient way to find Hyatt hotels, book rooms, view and change reservations, check in or out, receive special promotions and access general information on-the-go when using the carrier's Mobile Web service.

Mr. Johnson, who was appointed as general manager in March to develop and execute the mobile advertising product marketing and partnership strategy, is leading Microsoft's mobile advertising efforts.

The executive served formerly as a brand manager for Procter & Gamble Co. and Coca-Cola Co.

The Microsoft Advertising portfolio includes all of Microsoft's digital advertising businesses, such as its global media network that includes MSN, Windows Live, Office Live, Xbox LIVE, Live Search and Facebook.

The ad division also features Microsoft's global technology platforms and tools that include Atlas, AdECN, adCenter, DRIVEpm, Massive, Navic, Rapt and Microsoft Mobile Advertising, encompassing the former Screentonic technology.

Microsoft Advertising spans 42 markets worldwide and 21 languages.

Microsoft Mobile Advertising is active in 12 countries and is an important component in Microsoft Advertising's strategy and vision to reach audiences across multiple screens, platforms and devices.

The Hyatt Group operates several chains of hotels.

The Hyatt Regency brand is the oldest brand in the Hyatt hotel chain, with the Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt brands being introduced in 1980. Hyatt also launched a new brand, Andaz, in April 2007.

Other brands include the Hyatt Place concept, designed as a limited-service offering targeted to the business traveler.

Hyatt's extended-stay chain, Summerfield Suites, features 20 locations in the United States.

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts recently launched its Hyatt Mobile Web site for travelers on-the-go, anywhere in the world.

The mobile site, created by Usablenet, lets guests locate and book a hotel, access reservations and check in or out through any Web-enabled mobile device.

The multi-brand functionality is available to guests from around the world who are traveling to any Hyatt location (see story).

The site currently urges consumers to register for Hyatt's rewards program.

Verizon Wireless is the No. 1 carrier in the U.S. based on number of subscribers.

Under an agreement Microsoft and Verizon Wireless announced in January, the Microsoft Mobile Advertising team manages mobile search and display advertising across Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web service.

Microsoft's Bing powers Verizon Wireless mobile search. If consumers search for Hyatt and click on the result, they will be redirected to Hyatt's mobile Web site.

Microsoft has received more than 19 million queries since the May 1 launch.

To demonstrate the value of mobile advertising, Microsoft conducted a research study for Toyota in France in preparation for the launch of its IQ car.

The goal of the study was to determine the impact of using a "two-screen versus one" advertising approach to reaching consumers.

The findings indicated that incorporating mobile advertising with online display advertising provided an increase to Toyota's online presence, driving a 200 percent incremental lift in ad recall and 40 percent lift in brand recall.

Additionally, the synergy between mobile search and mobile display showed similar results, with mobile display experiencing a 350 percent lift in ad recall and a 125 percent increase in brand recall through the inclusion of mobile search ads.

Microsoft recently ran a large-scale mobile campaign to generate buzz around the software giant's "Bing for mobile" product (see story).

Microsoft Advertising's goal is to enable advertisers to buy their target audience with mobile search at http://m.Bing.com and mobile display on the MMN network.

According to Microsoft, the key verticals for mobile advertising include automotive, entertainment, financial services, retail and travel.

"From advertisers' perspective, we make sure that the consumer is the centerpoint," Mr. Johnson said. "My wife said ?I don't want mobile ads on my phone, but if I can get a coupon or something that's a value-add, then I'd appreciate it.'

"Advertising is about providing tremendous value for the consumer," he said. "We want to provide smarter, simpler, cost-effective advertising across multiple media devices, and mobile is at the center.

"Mobile is the key interaction for all of that, because we want to provide advertising that will enhance the daily lives of consumers through relevance and situational awareness, entertaining rich ad experiences and intent-based targeting."