Virgin launches ad-paid airtime promotion

Virgin Mobile is adding a new twist to its prepaid service: it’s launching a program that allows customers to earn airtime minutes by viewing tailored mobile ads.

Called SugarMama, the service will create a two-way dialog between Virgin Mobile’s advertisers and its customers, the first established in the mobile industry. Advertisers like Microsoft Xbox, Pepsi Cola and the American Legacy Foundation, which produces the Truth anti-smoking ads, will be able to ship adds directly to consumers either over a PC or through SMS, ask viewers questions about those ads and collect various demographic data.

Virgin said its initial batch of advertisers have all demonstrated willingness to explore new avenues of marketing and it hopes to expand the program beyond mere commercials or text ads to more long-form or experimental forms of advertising.

Customers opt into the service on the Virgin Mobile home page, where they fill out a demographic questionnaire and can watch streamed video ads. They can further opt into an SMS service, in which customers receive text or multimedia messages containing ads or coupons. Customers then are asked to answer questions about the ads, correct answers giving them free airtime minutes. Virgin, however, did not detail how many minutes would be awarded for viewing specific types of advertising.