Fixed Mobile Convergence

Allowing advertisers to target in-call audio messages to over 40 million movie-goers each year, Apptera and AOL (News - Alert) have announced that the Moviefone interactive voice recognition service, one of the nation’s largest phone-based movie showtime services, will use Apptera’s (News - Alert) voice and visual mobile advertising technology. The Moviefone interactive voice recognition service can now manage and monetize its 40 million annual calls with the help of Apptera’s voice and visual mobile advertising technology.

 

Moviefone has been registering tremendous growth among fans and advertisers in recent years. The company is also looking to develop new and innovative programs to create awareness for upcoming releases by simultaneously developing and deepening its partnerships with movie studios. With this new partnership, AOL can improve its consumer experience on the phone and also look to increase advertising revenue.

 

Focusing on the growth of Apptera’s MobileAd Xchange, which now reaches an estimated 100 million callers a year with ads based on their geography and buying preferences, this partnership extends Apptera’s reach into the movie showtime and ticket-ordering industry. The company targets the “trend-spreader” demographic of mobile, connected 18 to 34-year-old consumers.

 

Accessible by dialing ‘777-FILM’ from local area codes, callers to Moviefone will hear a new and improved speech-based interface that still uses the famous “Mr. Moviefone” voice beginning this fall. When callers interact with speech-enabled movie show time applications, Apptera’s mobile advertising technology offers contextual multimedia promotions. They can choose to get a phone call or SMS reminder when another movie is about to premiere or a promotion code for a movie sponsor’s product.

 

“Someone who calls for tickets to a G-rated movie could be served an ad from a nearby restaurant offering free desert for the kids after the show,” said Randy Haldeman, Apptera’s CMO and VP of sales.

 

“There are 120 million people represented by the movie showtime services we manage, and half of them buy a meal before or after attending the theater. It’s a laser-focused advertising opportunity for restaurant chains. In addition, this service could also be used to distribute promotion codes to the mobile phones of this vast movie-going audience, so that the companies placing products in movies can extend their brands beyond the theaters and into the hands of this desirable ‘trend-spreader’ demographic,” added Haldeman.