Media company City USA is using mobile to gauge the reaction of New Yorkers and Big Apple visitors to the controversial new pedestrian-friendly Broadway.

In the wake of New York City closing off sections of Broadway to car traffic, the company is asking the following question: "Are you happy with the new Broadway? Text LOVE IT or HATE IT to 35620." The mobile call-to-action will be posted on a light-adorned billboard in Times Square atop 701 Seventh Avenue.

"We believe mobile marketing provides measurability and engagement in a very innovative, contemporary means, to reach targeted audiences in a very cost-effective way," said Chris Carr, president of City USA, New York.

"We are not using any of the consumer data, but the power of the number of responses mobile marketing can provide when used in combination with outdoor, promotions and other traditional and non-traditional media is the key product," he said.

City USA is partnering with its sister companies, including promotions company CityEventions and new mobile marketing and development company CityTouchpoint.

They provide mobile marketing platforms such as SMS and Bluetooth, and develop mobile content, Web sites and applications.

City Outdoor is the company's traditional outdoor media company that has provided this high-profile outdoor spectacular in Time Square.

Consumers' responses to the Times Square billboard campaign are being sent via SMS text-to vote technology.

The question will be on display for the entire month of June.

To help generate excitement, City USA street teams will distribute circulars with to call-to-action to text in responses.

The teams will be available three days a week -- Monday, Wednesday and Friday -- from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the final results will be revealed on the billboard itself, as well as on City USA's Web site.

City USA is doing this to gather as much information as possible on how New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple truly feel about the new Broadway look.

In doing so, the company will be employing a mobile technology that will give it instant reaction while hopefully creating a fun environment.

This isn't the first time that a Times Square billboard has incorporated mobile into the mix.

In February 2008, LocaModa Inc., a mobile and Web-based interactive company, displayed an application on Clear Channel Spectacolor's 40 feet-by-40 feet digital screen in New York's Times Square.

The first LocaModa application on the screen was a text messaging word game called Jumbli. Spectacolor ran the game twice every hour. Players who submitted the highest-scoring words from their mobile devices saw their names on the screen (see story).

"The City of New York is not involved with this campaign, although we look forward to sharing the feedback we receive with them if they are interested," Mr. Carr said.

"CityUSA clients are a broad range of blue-chip advertisers, but that is all proprietary information at this point."