Bauer to trial camera phone-interactive ads in magazines

by Miranda Fitzgerald, Marketing 20-Aug-08, 09:09

LONDON - Bauer Media has signed a six-month deal with SnapNow, the mobile visual-search company, to trial an interactive ad system that matches photos of ads taken on WAP-enabled camera phones and then sends information such as coupons back to the user.

Kerrang! magazine is running Bauer's first SnapNow-enabled ad this month, for entertainment retailer Play.com. Readers will to enter a competition to win a Creative Zen MP3 Player by sending a picture of the ad to Play.com.

The system removes the need to include codes in advertising copy, enabling consumers to respond directly to ads without compromising the ad copy or imagery.

Bauer claims to be the only UK media company that can offer this service to it advertisers.