Zoove Brings Brands and Consumers Together with StarStar Vanity Numbers, Now Available for Sprint Customers

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoove, the exclusive provider of StarStar Numbers for the largest wireless operators in the United States, today announced an easy, new way for Sprint customers to connect with their favorite brands while on the go.

Zoove operates an exclusive registry of vanity StarStar Numbers. With StarStar Numbers, like **BRAND (**27263), users simply call the StarStar Number of the brand being promoted or advertised. Instantly, they can be pushed that brand's mobile app, Web page, coupon, videos or more, directly to their mobile phones – without the need to use 2D-bar code readers or cross-carrier text messaging short codes. With today's announcement, Zoove's StarStar Numbers are now available across all four of the major U.S. wireless carriers.

"Sprint remains at the forefront of innovation, a leader in customer satisfaction, and a pioneer in delivering mobile apps and services," said Joe Gillespie, president and CEO, Zoove. "StarStar Numbers let mobile consumers engage with their favorite brands instantly, and give brands a simple mobile extension to use across existing promotional campaigns. We've been working quietly behind-the-scenes with Sprint for years to enable this technical integration throughout their network, and are extremely proud to unveil it formally today."

"Consumers increasingly expect to move from screen to screen and medium to medium and have their content experience follow them. Initiatives like StarStar Numbers make that process easier and are an exciting opportunity for our clients to provide highly engaging communication," said Brian Monahan, executive vice president and managing partner, Interpublic Group Media Lab.

"Simply Call" for Apps and More

StarStar Numbers are easy-to-remember numbers, between two and 12 digits, which people call from their mobile phones. They provide brands with a new direct-response marketing tool for reaching mobile phones, aimed at increasing response rates through a simple user experience. StarStar Numbers are compatible with both feature phones and smartphones, across all major mobile operating systems. Starting this year, major advertisers and brands will begin promoting StarStar Numbers as part of their existing marketing campaigns, such as billboards, print and online ads, TV and radio commercials, consumer packaged goods, and more.

For example, SUZUKI is currently using **SUZUKI (**789854) to promote their 2011 GSX-R sports bike. Viewers of CBS' "The Early Show" have been calling StarStar Numbers in recent weeks to interact with the show. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., the world's leading florist and gift shop, has licensed **FLOWERS (**3569377) as part of an upcoming Mother's Day campaign. In addition, consumers should expect to see promotions and commercials for other "generic" StarStar Numbers, such as **LAW (**529), in the coming months.  In this case, consumers will be encouraged to simply call **LAW (**529) to connect to information from law firms.

"Having built a brand around a vanity phone number, we have always embraced simple to understand direct response technologies that offer our customers an easy way to shop for gifts and deliver a smile to the important people in their lives," said Chris McCann, president, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "StarStar Numbers will provide a new compelling way to reach today's mobile consumers and distribute a broader range of campaigns. We look forward to working with Zoove on our cross-carrier mobile initiatives."

Pricing and Brand Engagement Model

For users, there is no extra charge to call a StarStar Number. After the initial phone call, users will receive a text message or voice mail prompting them to engage further, and at that point they can opt in, based on their phone's capabilities, to view websites, download apps, etc. Standard voice, data and/or text charges based on the user's plan will apply at that time.

For brands, StarStar Numbers provide a unique and customizable mobile "name space," similar to the name spaces provided by their URLs on computers. Brands or advertisers seeking to create or use a StarStar Number must register with Zoove, which provides the exclusive registry across wireless carriers. Zoove has exclusive technical integrations across carriers' networks that enable networks to recognize and process StarStar Numbers properly. Zoove also provides content review and oversight on behalf of wireless carriers to ensure that brands' marketing campaigns adhere to carrier guidelines and policies. Brands pay Zoove an annual fee for their StarStar Number. Fees vary based on the length and scarcity of the number. Brands also receive access to Zoove's cloud-based content management system. This simple Web-based console enables brands to plan and schedule their StarStar Number campaigns, by uploading, managing, and publishing their multimedia content to callers – along with real-time reports and analytics.

Additional information about Zoove or StarStar Numbers can be found at www.zoove.com, by contacting (877) 283-5495 or [email protected], or by simply calling **ZOOVE (**96683) from a mobile phone. Additional information about Sprint can be found at www.sprint.com.

About Zoove

Zoove operates an exclusive registry of vanity StarStar Numbers that lets brands easily connect with people – anytime, anywhere, on any mobile phone. Zoove is the exclusive provider of StarStar Numbers for the largest wireless operators in the United States, serving more than 250 million people. With StarStar Numbers, consumers simply call the name of the brand they see being promoted. Instantly, they can be pushed that brand's mobile app, Web page, coupon, videos or more, directly to their mobile phones – without the need to use bar code readers or disjointed text message short codes. StarStar Numbers are designed to be promoted as part of any marketing campaign, such as: billboards, print ads, TV and radio commercials, online ads and more. Zoove provides the mobile connection brands are seeking, and the ability to measure the results instantly. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., additional information about Zoove is available at www.zoove.com or by simply calling **ZOOVE (**96683) from a mobile phone.

All product and service names listed in this release remain property of their parent companies and do not indicate official support or endorsement for Zoove or its services.

SOURCE Zoove