Mobile Posse Launches Idle-Screen Ads

Mobile Posse, the McLean, Va.-based mobile advertising company, launched a joint-venture pilot program with Cricket Communications and LCW Wireless in Portland, Oregon, MocoNews reports.

The pilot program, called Cricket Perks, lets users view sports scores, the weather, or other offerings on their cell phone’s idle screen in lieu of standard-issue wallpaper, along with coupons for local advertisers. The entire system works based on the zip code, age, and gender the user enters after downloading and installing the app on a cell phone. (As an aside, downloadable apps usually offer more power than WAP sites, but they don’t work on all phones and require that users install the software on their own).

The report said that the idea is for restaurants to offer lunchtime coupons and retailers to provide specials for shops nearby. Game Crazy, Jiffy Lube, Global Spectrum, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) have already signed on with local offers for LCW Wireless customers.

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