Spokesmen for supplements Giant EAS -- NFL players Larry Fitzgerald and Brady Quinn -- are promoting a mobile sweepstakes in the current issue of Men's Fitness magazine.

Men's Fitness launched the interactive advertising campaign using SpyderLynk's SnapTag technology in the double-page EAS print ad, which lets consumers enter a sweepstakes by taking a photo with their camera phone and sending it in via MMS or email. The prizes include a photo shoot with the magazine and a workout session to train like the pros.

"We have the mission of connecting print and digital, and we started with bar codes and bar code readers, but we thought a branded solution would be better positioned to connect companies with consumers, so we decided to use the camera phone," said Nicole Skogg, founder/CEO of SpyderLynk, Denver, CO.

"We have thousands of combinations per logo, and we let brands use their own logo and let consumers interact by snapping a photo and sending it in without needing to download an application," she said.

"We will build an app going forward, but not having that requirement is a key advantage for us now, because it limits the barriers to entry for consumers to participate in these campaigns."

EAS claims to be the world's largest distributor of performance-based nutritional supplements, with annual sales exceeding $300 million and a presence in 54 countries.

While originally focused on the creatine monohydrate supplement brand Phosphagen, the EAS product line under new owner Abbott Laboratories now focuses on sports bars, drink mixes and other similar products, including Myoplex and HMB.

Abbott has expanded the stores offering EAS products from niche stores such as GNC to mainstream stores such as Walmart and Target.

Men's Fitness, part of the American Media publishing group and one of the world's leading publications with over 700,000 in circulation, called on SpyderLynk's SnapTag mobile marketing solution because of its interactive nature and ability to engage customers visually.

SpyderLynk is a mobile marketing and technology company enabling advertisers to add interactive functionality to traditional media and marketing to activate a mobile dialog and engage consumers in an ongoing mobile relationship.

SpyderLynk's proprietary SnapTag mobile activation point lets consumers with camera phones snap a photo of a brand logo encircled with a trackable code ring and text or email it to access content and engage with advertisers or media providers.

SnapTags activate any surface, ad, package or point-of-sale to create various interactive experiences between buyers and sellers. The technology is attempting to supplant 2D bar codes.

Through SpyderLynk, advertisers can synchronize cross-platform campaigns to deliver a wide range of brand information, content, discounts, promotions, links and rewards, as well as initiate an ongoing relationship with a consumer.

SpyderLynk's mobile branding service is now being used in a variety of media and national advertisers' campaigns, including Men's Fitness, Family Circle, Ford, Dial Soap, Fila, Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema's "She Just Not That Into You."

The gatefold cover ad features two star NFL athletes, Brady Quinn and Larry Fitzgerald, and encourages readers to take a photo of the SnapTag beneath their favorite player to vote for a feature on that athlete's workout that will appear in the magazine's September issue.

Participants also get a special wallpaper of their choice athlete sent straight to their mobile phone.

This issue of Men's Fitness will be on stands through July 3.

The double-page ad inside the cover of Men's Fitness uses SpyderLynk's SnapTag mobile engagement technology to interact with readers.

The call-to-action is "Vote now for a chance to win," and there are several other placements throughout the magazine.

Consumers vote by taking a picture of the logo appearing under their favorite of the two athletes, either Mr. Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals or Mr. Quinn of the Cleveland Browns, to get back a wallpaper via MMS and to enter the sweepstakes.

While print ads are one of the primary channels that SpyderLynk mobilizes, the company has also done events, working with AT&T at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits to run mobile scavenger hunts using SnapTag technology.

Retail is also a target sector, and in fact SpyderLynk has run in-store SnapTag pilots with Barnes and Noble and Starbucks.

The company has also worked with the National Guard and the Marine Corps at recruitment booths.

"It's all about the brand with SpyderLynk, as opposed to bar codes, which are somewhat unappealing -- they're tags that don't connect the brand and the creative and the promotion," said Adam Schneider, vice president of sales for SpyderLynk.

"SnapTags are not invasive, they're appealing and promotional, so they match advertisers' efforts," he said. "It's not an unconnected image that's stuck on the ad, and it allows us to track exactly where the action came from."