2Roam, iQ.COM and Engage Deploy Wireless Web Couponing

Partnerships between wireless ASP 2Roam, coupon technology company iQ.COM and online advertising firm Engage are getting their first test this week, as the companies launch a pilot promotion for Jiffy Lube.

Consumers who visit the wireless version of the myGeek.com comparison shopping site and click on a Jiffy Lube ad will be presented with a coupon for $5 off an oil change, which they can save on their device. To redeem the coupon, they present the coupon code at Jiffy Lube service centers in Boston, Houston, Miami, Memphis, Philadelphia, Sacramento and West Palm Beach.

Here’s how the three companies work together: when the user visits the myGeek.com wireless Web site, 2Roam alerts Engage to display the one-line Jiffy Lube teaser. As soon as the user clicks on the Jiffy Lube teaser, 2Roam notifies iQ.COM, which in turn sends the electronic coupon to 2Roam and on to the end user’s handheld device.

“Wireless Web users are the perfect target audience for Jiffy Lube services. Mobile people on the go with little free time to spare appreciate the fast, reliable signature services that we provide,” said Marc Graham, president, Jiffy Lube International. “This unique wireless couponing initiative will deliver instant discounts to wherever wireless Web users may be — even in their cars. We expect this campaign will help us realize new business and drive sales.”

Whether that actually happens, though, remains to be seen. Regardless, the campaign will open a window into the nascent world of wireless marketing and advertising — a world about which marketers currently know very little.

“This wireless couponing initiative gives companies like Jiffy Lube the unique opportunity to study customer behavior using wireless marketing,” said Richard Mandeberg, iQ.COM’s president and chief executive officer. “Because couponing transforms the wireless device into a direct response medium, we will be able to track the redemption rate and collect valuable data on the efficacy of wireless promotions.”

The campaign will run through the end of the year.