Impact Mobile helps print advertisers mobilize ads

By Giselle Tsirulnik

September 23, 2008

An impact on mobile

Universal Press Syndicate is providing its newspaper clients with a "push" service that will make their print ads more interactive.

Impact Mobile is behind the technology. Push publishing allows newspapers to push their content to readers via an application that resides on the smart phone. There is advertising opportunity within the application, but none of UPS clients have signed on as of yet.

"We see our role in the market as providing platforms to make traditional media interactive," said Gary Schwartz, founder/CEO of Impact Mobile, Richmond, VA. "Universal's newspaper clients will now be able to establish a one-to-one relationship with the readers and the opportunity for ongoing communications with targeted consumers."

Many publishers currently use WAP sites for their mobile platform.

Smart phone applications will extend the mobile reach to a new audience. This includes BlackBerrys, iPhones and Windows-based devices.

The content and the advertising are interactive for the user, who represents an affluent, highly desired demographic for both newspapers and their advertisers.

Pudding Media, a mobile advertising network, and Impact Mobile have partnered to provide agencies and advertisers with a similar service: buying contextual ad placement on SMS text messages with interactive response services.

"The big thing with advertising is you can't really clarify your ROI based on impressions," Mr. Schwatrz said. "Mobile solves this issue because the person opts in for the offer and is now engaged in a conversation with the advertiser."

With Pudding Media's ability to target by demographic and interest-based categories and Impact Mobile's JumpTXT response marketing engine, advertisers have access to category-specific impressions as well as simple response templates that allow further engagement with the consumer.

"UPS advertisers can get their message out in front of some eyeballs and can send more information to people who are actually interested, as there is an opt-in option," Mr. Schwartz said. "By defining the content and serving relevant ads a long side of it, this is also a benefit for the consumer.

"That's an example of how we are activating newspapers," he said. "A traditional syndicator of content is looking to innovate the way its advertisers get their messages out. All the traditional push guys are looking to mobile for pulling value propositions."