HMV To Launch Mobile Purchase Ads

HMV is placing a series of advertisements in national newspapers and magazines which allow consumers to respond to them immediately and buy CDs, DVDs and games directly from their mobile phones.

The advertisements, to be printed from June 5, will have a unique ordering code for new music, film and game titles. All the customer has to do is text back to a short code and they will receive a mobile internet link to a secure site where they pay using their credit or debit card.

The service, called Txt2Buy, is the first of its kind in the UK and HMV is working with Digital Rum (dR) on the project, who recently joined with Sky to provide interactive TV services.

Gideon Lask, HMV’s head of internet, said: “Given the increasingly dynamic buying patterns of consumers and the mass market penetration of mobile phones in the UK, offering customers the opportunity to buy music albums, movies and games over their mobiles, whenever and wherever they are, is an incredibly attractive proposition.”

Russell Tarr, dR’s vice president of sales, added: “This is the first time that consumers have been able to spontaneously purchase physical goods such as CDs and DVDs via the mobile phone, and it opens up an incredibly rich mobile channel for HMV.”

Digital Rum: www.digitalrum.com

HMV Group: www.hmvgroup.com