Publishers such as the Gannett Co.?s USA Today, News Corp.?s Clear Channel Radio and Time Out New York tapped Zoove?s StarStar Mobile Dial Codes to run interactive mobile marketing campaigns.

The campaigns ran in conjunction with AT&T with calls-to-action driving downloads of each publisher?s respective application for Apple?s iPhone. In addition, Verizon Wireless has selected Zoove?s Mobile Dial Code services platform to manage the leasing of certain dial codes and campaign management for those dial codes.

?A lot of the early trials have been iPhone-centric because we?ve been testing on AT&T for a while,? said Dov Cohn, Raleigh-Durham, NC-based vice president of marketing and product management at Zoove. ?The value proposition there is, the only calls-to-action in print ads used to be ?go to the App Store,? but now they can say ?simply dial **USA? so consumers don?t have to type in the name of the app or get distracted by other apps.

?We?ve eliminated five or six steps in the app download process,? he said. ?That same simplicity applies to any experience?we can deliver back not just a text message or a voice response, but also a Web page, an app download link, a lead entry form, a sweepstakes form, a video or a mobile coupo.

?A whole host of content can be enabled by our StarStar mobile dial codes.?

Zoove is the provider of the nationwide StarStar Mobile Dial Code direct response network.

StarStar Mobile Dial Codes are branded phone numbers that can be dialed by any mobile phone in the United States and deliver text messages, direct dialing and multi-media campaigns such as Web pages, pictures, sound files and video files.

Zoove has launched the U.S. Mobile Dial Code Registry, making the codes accessible to the subscribers of the four largest mobile carriers, close to 90 percent of U.S. mobile users.

New vehicle for mobile calls-to-action
Zoove describes its StarStar Mobile Dial Codes as intelligent phone numbers that expand the reach of marketing campaigns by connecting mobile consumers with brands, marketing offers and promotions.

StarStar Codes are available as two- to 12-digit codes that can be displayed as a brand name?for example, **BRAND?much like a domain name, with the goal of making them easy for consumers to remember and use.

By dialing a StarStar Code, a consumer can receive a variety of marketing offers and promotions, including applications, coupons, text, Web content, multimedia and voice/IVR delivered directly to their mobile phone.

Nationwide daily newspaper giant USA Today used house inventory in its print editions to distribute the following call-to-action:

?See. Touch. Share. USA Today?s signature photos, interactive polls, stories, sports scores and customized weather forecasts are now specially formatted for your iPhone.

?Download it now from your iPhone for free! Simply dial **USA (**872).

?Read stories online or offline, then share them with your friends.?

Clear Channel Radio promoted its iheartradio application for iPhone with the call-to-action:

?Listen live to 750+ stations for free! Simply dial: **IHR (**447).?

Time Out New York also used house inventory in its print editions to promote its own iPhone application with the following call-to-action:

?Unlock the City. Experience everything that?s happening in the city that never sleeps with Time Out New York?s iPhone app.

?Use it to find the latest concerts, clubs, exhibits and shows, as well as nearby places to eat and drink in NYC.

?Download it free! Simply dial **TONY (**8669) from your iPhone.?

In all three cases, consumers who dial the StarStar keyword are automatically redirected to each publisher?s specific download page in the App Store.

Verizon partners with Zoove
Verizon Wireless is licensing the Zoove service platform and participating in the StarStar Mobile Dial Code (MDC) Registry for nationwide dial code registration and management.

Verizon Wireless claims that it selected Zoove?s dial code platform because it provides an easy-to-use direct response mechanism that delivers promotions and services to the carrier?s customers who choose to receive them.

Zoove Mobile Dial Codes provide advertisers with a branded call-to-action that can quickly connect Verizon Wireless customers to offers and information.

Zoove claims that with the StarStar Mobile Dial Code platform, Verizon Wireless and the other participating carriers can offer a new service to advertisers, connecting them to a large cross-section of mobile consumers.

Zoove, in cooperation with Verizon Wireless and the other three major U.S. carriers, is launching the National Mobile Dial Code Registry.

The Registry will serve as central registration and management service for brands, advertisers and agencies to lease and manage MDCs, including their brand names represented as MDCs.

?Our relationship with Verizon is a keystone part of our national mobile dial code network,? Mr. Cohn said. ?All of the [U.S.] carriers are partners with Zoove?this is the first of several carrier partner announcements coming out over the next couple of weeks.

?The announcement with Verizon is important to make marketers aware of the opportunities they have at their disposal?StarStar dial codes are a critical brand asset,? he said. ?A brand can use them to engage consumers in a mobile experience.

?We can provision and get these codes up and running almost instantaneously due to our carrier integrations.?