Following the launch of its myDeals opt-in mobile advertising programme with Maxis in Malaysia a couple of days ago, Out There Media has announced a similar offering with Russian firm OJSC VimpelCom, which operates the Beeline-branded network in the country.

The service, powered by Out There Media’s Mobucks platform, will run on the VimpelCom network, and is open to all Beeline customers. Sales, business development and operations support will be undertaken by Out There Media’s Russian office in Moscow. 

The opt-in ad offering is called Be the First to Know, and is open to mobile customers who supply demographic and lifestyle information about themselves. Ads will be sent via SMS, MMS and the mobile web. In the run-up to the launch of the service, more than 200.000 VimpelCom customers have already opted in to it. Brands who have signed up as advertisers at launch include Chupa-Chups, Smint, Sula and Bank Uralsib.  

“The launch of Be the First to Know is especially exciting for us, particularly as there is already a group of top-tier launch partners on board, and the Russian consumers are already embracing it with such enthusiasm,” says Out There Media CEO, Kerstin Trikalitis. “We have developed Be the First to Know, building on our pioneering work on permission-based mobile advertising, and we are confident that it will revolutionize the advertising sector in the Russian market.”

The company says it will be announcing simialr permission-based programmes in various markets across Europe and Asia in the near future.