Cellphone opens more paths for marketers

AOL The CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas this year is proving how creative marketers can be when it comes to get at you through the cellphone in your pocket, reports USA Today.

• Under a deal Sprint announced with the Luxor hotel, when you land in Las Vegas and turn on your cellphone, the Luxor can check you in before you exit the plane. During your stay, you might get mobile coupons for discounted meals, show tickets and other offers. Using the phone's GPS capabilities, the Luxor can see if you are off the hotel premises and tailor mobile promotions to lure you back.

Sprint is also working with the Las Vegas Monorail on a service permitting riders to buy tickets wirelessly. You punch in a five-digit code plus the keyword "ride," and get a text message with a mobile ticket. You can either wave the phone at a gate scanner to board, or visit kiosks to print a ticket.

• Cingular Wireless will let viewers of the TV show One Tree Hill send text messages to determine plotlines in upcoming episodes. Cingular has already had success getting customers to text in votes on American Idol.

Consumers who sent text messages in response to banner ads for the show Veronica Mars got voice mail from star Kristen Bell (in character as Veronica) 45 minutes before the show was to air. Digital agencies Third Screen Media and Carat Fusion, which worked on the campaign, said traffic to the show's website jumped 500%.

• At CTIA, Verizon Wireless and Rocket Mobile unveiled a new version of Song IDentity. As before, you can learn the name of a tune by holding certain Verizon handsets next to a radio or other music source for 10 seconds. Now, you can also download corresponding ring tones, if available.

• PayPal launched PayPal Mobile, which lets consumers use phones to transfer money to other people, or companies and charities. If you punch in a code to buy the Fox DVD Walk The Line, for example, you'll get a callback from PayPal confirming the transaction.

Regine | 6:12 AM | |
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