Readers of the September issue of Jane magazine who saw an ad that grabbed their attention didn't have to wait to get more information about the featured product.

Thanks to the "Jane Talks Back" promotion, registered readers were able to whip out their camera phones, snap a picture of an ad and send it to the publication just like a text message. In return, they received an e-mail with more product details as well as a freebie of some sort, ranging from a Calvin Klein CK jacket to a perfume sample of Curve Crush by Liz Claiborne. At least a dozen advertisers offered free MP3 downloads.

"Because we are geared to twentysomethings we have to stay cutting edge, so we look for marketing campaigns that are off the beaten path," says Eva Dillon, publisher of New York-based Jane. "Young people use camera phones and text messaging as often as they talk."

Jane's research shows 25 to 30 percent of its readers have camera phones. Aside from serving readers, "Jane Talks Back" gives the magazine a competitive edge, Dillon says, noting it brought in eight new advertisers, and that nearly all of the issue's 62 advertisers participated.

Waltham, Massachusetts-based Mobot Inc. created the technology behind the promotion, and Jane is the first client. The often poor-quality camera-phone images went directly to Mobot, whose software decoded the images, replied with a one-time text message receipt, and sent out the marketing message and products.

Mobot's goal is to help marketers connect "with customers at the very moment they're most interested in the product," says Kevin Wells, Mobot's vice president of business development. "[The promotion] is interactive with readers in a way that was never possible before."

But the Jane promotion, which is the first commercial test of Mobot, is only the beginning. Last month, Mobot unveiled an application to direct consumers to a retailer that carries a product they photograph with a camera phone. "We are demonstrating the ability to buy an [item] at Amazon with just three clicks," of a camera phone, Wells says.

Jane's publisher and Mobot are not the only companies exploring the marketing capabilities of camera phones. But most are using the technology for loyalty marketing campaigns and limit their programs to one cellular service provider, such as the Olympic initiative by AT&T Wireless and NBC. During the games, they teamed up to offer a variety of wireless content, ranging from Olympic video clips and text message scores to the $25,000 Reach for the Gold sweepstakes for customers who sent in images taken with their camera phones. They also created the Olympic Spirit Gallery, an online display of camera-phone shots taken by consumers.

Two weeks after the September Jane hit the newsstands, Dillon says reader response to "Jane Talks Back" was better than expected. She added that participants sent in photos of three ads, on average. "We're happy with that," she says. "It means [readers] are not clicking on every ad just for the freebies." In fact, Dillon is already planning a holiday shopping-themed repeat of the promotion for the December issue. This page is protected by Copyright laws. Do Not Copy