Laddie title Maxim is running a mobile IVR campaign that encourages consumers to buy the magazine's "Hottie of the Month" wallpapers.

The campaign call-to-action is in the magazine itself. Readers are asked to dial the phone number listed on the ad for the Hottie promotion and listen to a message with the instruction to "Press 1" to download the content.

"We decided to do the campaign via interactive voice response instead of using a short code because we can appeal to a broader demographic using voice," said Carolyne Moran, direct-to-consumer product manager of Airborne Mobile, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The call-in experience is Maxim through and through. Once consumers call in they are greeted by one of the Maxim girls. She describes herself and asks the caller to press the number 1 to opt-in for the content.

Once the number 1 is pressed during the call, the content link is decided via geographical relevance. After opting in to download the content, the consumer gets an SMS back with a WAP push to confirm the opt-in.

The WAP content includes Maxim franchises such as Today's Girl, Joke of the Day, Girl on Film, CBS Sports, Daily Videos, Entertainment reviews and a link to the Hometown Hotties voting page.

Airborne Mobile is handling the premium SMS transactions. CommerceTel is providing the direct dial phone numbers and the IVR front end.

CommerceTel also serves content owners such as NBC Universal and National Public Radio.

"Calling and listening to the actual girl via the interactive menu adds a level of realism and personalization," said Dennis Becker, CEO of CommerceTel, San Diego. "The ultimate goal here is to broaden the audience for Maxim."

Maxim is running the Hottie ad to sell mobile wallpapers in its July issue.

The wallpapers are $1.99 each. This fee is charged by the carrier and appears on the consumer's mobile phone bill.

For Airborne, this IVR initiative is a test. It will allow Airborne to see how this platform performs versus just short codes and how well it is adopted.

For consumers, this is just another way for them to easily access the content they want while on the go.

"What we are seeing is that CommerceTel is being adopted by companies because the IVR provides a front gate into a mobile campaign," said Greg Farrell, vice president of marketing at CommerceTel. "The IVR broadens the interactivity and the reach of the marketer."