Procter & Gamble?s Olay, General Motors? Buick, Visa Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are the launch sponsors of Amazon.com Inc.?s ad-subsidized Kindle with Special Offers.

Those brands are offering the first series of screensavers designed specifically for Kindle with Special Offers, which retails for $114. Amazon also launched the free AdMash Kindle application and Web site, letting consumers vote for the best sponsored screensavers

?Visa is one of the initial advertisers for Kindle with Special Offers, as it gives us an additional avenue to provide our cardholders with additional offers and promotions, which is why we got involved with Amazon for this,? said Paul Wilke, Foster City, CA-based spokesman for Visa.

?More people are going online and downloading digital content, and more people are using products like Kindle to get ebooks and other digital content, so we want to reach people through this channel,? he said. ?To do so, Visa will offer some of those branded screensavers.?

Amazon.com?s Kindle, Kindle 3G and Kindle DX are portable readers that wirelessly download ebooks, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to an electronic ink display.

Mobile offers
Kindle with Special Offers is available for pre-order to Amazon customers in the United States and will ship on May 3.

Special offers available at launch include $10 for a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card, $1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store and a $100 Gift Card with a new Amazon Rewards Visa Card from Chase.

Other examples of deals that will be offered to users of Kindle with Special Offers devices include $6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68), 50 percent off a Roku Streaming Player (normally $99) and $10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop.

In addition, consumers that buy one of 30 Kindle bestsellers with their Visa card get a $10 Amazon.com credit.

A full list of active offers will be available from the menu of Kindle with Special Offers.

Kindle special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen.

?We?re very excited to be working with Buick, Olay, Visa and Chase, all of which are great companies that are helping us to lower the price of Kindle,? said Kinley Campbell, spokeswoman for Amazon.com, Seattle.

Amazon also introduced AdMash, a free Kindle app and Web site letting customers choose the most engaging display advertisements that will become Kindle sponsored screensavers.

Kindle's sponsored screensavers are display ads optimized for Kindle's electronic-ink display.

A screensaver from Olay

A screensaver from Visa

Before these ads will be presented to Kindle customers, they are first previewed by Amazon customers using AdMash.

Consumers are presented with pairs of sponsored screensaver candidates and asked to select which one they like better.

Screensavers with the most votes qualify to become sponsored screensavers.

In addition, Kindle with Special Offers customers can provide Amazon with suggestions on the style and types of sponsored screensavers they would like to see.

Customers can use Kindle Screensaver Preferences from the Manage Your Kindle page on Amazon.com to indicate whether they prefer to see more or fewer screensavers that include elements such as landscapes and scenery, architecture, travel images, photography and illustrations.

?We?re working hard to make sure that anyone who wants a Kindle can afford one,? Ms. Campbell said. ?Kindle with Special Offers is the same No. 1 bestselling Kindle ? plus sponsored screensavers and special offers ? and it?s only $114.

?We built Kindle for everyone who loves to read,? she said. ?Kindle with Special Offers is a new option for customers ? now customers can choose between the $114 Kindle with Special Offers, the $139 Kindle and the $189 Kindle 3G.?

Buick's take
Mobile Marketer's Dan Butcher interview Craig Bierley,  director of advertising and promotions for Buick at GM, Detroit. Here is what he had to say:

What is Buick?s strategy behind becoming a launch sponsor of the Kindle with Special Offers?
This sponsorship hits our core audience and reaches people we want to love the Buick brand - they?re adventurous, they?re curious, they're on the go and they love innovation.

The sponsorships creates participation in an innovative and fun way where people are already reading and engaging, and it reinforces the Buick brand as a leader in innovation ? through partnering with a company that is on the forefront of emerging technology to give consumers more value.

Will Buick also sponsor AdMash and/or offer branded screensavers?
We are designing branded Kindle screensavers that will be rotated every day. Buick is about participation and choice, and this gives readers both. They can vote for their favorite screensaver, and Buick can become a part of their Kindle experience and their on-the-go lifestyle.
 
What offers/calls-to-action from Buick are currently live?
Buick is driving people to experience the brand at Buick.com. This is a jumping off point for participation: You can view the 2011 models, join the Facebook community and learn more about Buick.

The Kindle with Special Offers is a unique way for us to connect with our consumers.

Final Take