• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, May 2, 2008

Consumer magazines are hurrying to introduce new mobile commerce and marketing options for advertisers. This week, Hearst announced it is expanding its partnership with ShopText, a mobile commerce technology company, to some of its biggest titles, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Seventeen and O, the Oprah Magazine. The ShopText technology has been in use at CosmoGirl since 2006.

In the ShopText system, the reader enters a text code from a magazine ad into their mobile phone to purchase an item, participate in a promotional sweepstakes, receive a sample, or get more information. Hearst isn't the only one to use ShopText; Conde Nast has also made the mobile messaging system available to advertisers in Glamour and Details.

The Hearst announcement comes not long after Rodale's Men's Health said it will introduce advertising that can be "read" by the cameras on many mobile devices in its July-August summer issue. After the reader takes a picture of the ad, the image is processed by an image-recognition computer program created by SnapTell. The promotional information tailored to the specific ad is then immediately sent to the consumer.

InStyle to Launch Celebrity Video Series

InStyle is planning a weekly video series focusing on celebrities, following up on the success of video offerings in March, according to Mediaweek, which reported the news on Wednesday. Executives at the Time Inc. title said they determined there was a great deal of demand for the test run of 22 different clips, sponsored by Target, producing about 700,000 streams in a month. The format, yet to be decided, could include a weekly "what's hot" update on fashion news and celebrity doings.

Forbes Signs Deal with Lingospot

Forbes Media hopes to increase the duration of visits to its various Web properties with a technology that provides links to information in Investopedia, an online information database owned by Forbes, as well as Forbes' Business and Finance Blog Network. The technology, created by a company called Lingospot, suggests the relevant link or links in a text bubble whenever the user scrolls over a key word or phrase in an article. Forbes isn't the only business publisher experimenting with scroll-over or mouse-over links. In December, LinkedIn announced that it had opened its "back end" to Web publishers, beginning with BusinessWeek. As part of this partnership, LinkedIn will create links in the text of BusinessWeek editorial content for the proper names of businesses and people. By mousing over the links, the reader can determine how they are connected to the individual or entity in question, including how many of their own contacts are connected.

Vertical Ascent to Launch New Mexico Business Mag

Vertical Ascent, LLC is planning to launch a new regional business title called New Mexico Business Magazine targeting CEOs, high-level executives, managers, and owners of small businesses. The magazine effectively replaces the New Mexico Business Journal, which closed shop earlier this year. Doug Stine, the Journal's former editor in chief, will serve as publisher of New Mexico Business Magazine.

Hersam Leaves Rodale, Triggering Musical Chairs

Rodale is moving personnel around following the announcement by Andrew Hersam, the vice president and publishing director, that he is leaving the company on May 9 to join radio broadcaster Westwood One as executive vice president of sales and chief revenue officer. Following Hersam's departure, Chris Lambiase will assume responsibility for Runner's World and Running Times, assuming the new title of vice president and group publisher for Running and Cycling; he continues in his previous role as vice president and publishing director for Bicycling, Mountain Bike and Organic Gardening. Meanwhile, Joao Correia, the associate publisher for Bicycling and Mountain Bike, will assume more responsibility at those titles.