• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 28, 2010

Direct mobile marketing company Zoove has launched its dialing system for running promotions across major U.S. carriers including Verizon Wireless and AT&T. The company's StarStar dialing codes allow advertisers to reserve short numerical codes that mobile users can dial for special deals and offers.

The codes are typically formatted as ** followed by the name of the brand being marketed. By dialing the StarStar code for a band, consumers can opt-in for offers via text messages, applications, coupons, Web pages, multimedia and voice directly on their mobile phones.

Marketers also have the option of adding codes to TV, radio, billboards and print ads, encouraging people to call to take advantage of deals or get more product information. Among the initial advertisers using the Zoove platform are Time Out New York, USA Today and IHeartRadio.

Through its carrier partnerships, Zoove says ads delivered via its dial codes can now reach a total of 285 million U.S. consumers.

Zoove Monday also introduced the National Mobile Dial Code Registry, an online hub for advertisers to register and manage their branded codes. The company charges an annual lease fee for the StarStar codes that start at $10,000, with 2- to 4-digit codes and certain generic keywords costing more.

The company also imposes a minimum monthly service plan for running campaigns in which ads are charged on a "cost-per-dial" basis. Basic responses via SMS or Web pages start at 10 cents per dial, while those that include images, audio or video, or voice interaction may cost more.

The company last September raised $5.2 million of an expected total of $13.2 million round of funding, according to a regulatory filing. Zoove's backers include Cardinal Venture Capital, Highland Capital Planners and Worldview Technology Partners.