August 23, 2006
U SPHERE and OTAir TEAM UP TO OFFER "COLLEGE OF THE DAY" MOBILE NEWSLETTER
Students and parents can send a text-message marked 'UTEXT' to 68247 to subscribe
Evanston, IL and Richmond, VA — Reaching the college-bound student on the go may become a little easier to do, thanks to a new and exciting service launched today by U Sphere, Inc. and OTAir, LLC.
The companies announce the unveiling of the U Sphere "College of the Day" mobile newsletter, which will be distributed through OTAir's mobile text messaging service. The mobile newsletter will feature content that can help students, parents and counselors to learn about schools that are off the beaten path, as well as offering tools that can help make sense of the often overwhelming college planning process.
"Our mission is to give more students access to more colleges, and communicating with kids directly on their cell phone makes perfect sense," said Dave Van de Walle, president & CEO, U Sphere, Inc. "Sending relevant information about up-and-coming schools, right on the mobile phone, is a brand-building dream for colleges and universities looking to cut through the clutter."
An example "College of the Day" newsletter features the University of Guelph, outside of Toronto, Ontario. Students who received the newsletter text message learn about Guelph's location, their top-ranked veterinary program, and the well-rounded liberal arts education that Guelph provides. Students are also directed to usphere.com for a more in-depth look at the school and the academic opportunities that it can provide for a college-bound student.
Messages that are sent as part of the U Sphere "College of the Day" mobile newsletter will vary among colleges, sometimes focusing on class size, student-to-faculty ratio, academically successful programs, student body diversity, or overall school size.
"Our partnership with U Sphere to distribute the 'College of the Day' mobile newsletter is a perfect match that is sure to benefit prospective students and parents alike," adds Jim Washok, co-founder of OTAir. "Through the mobile newsletter, students can receive pertinent information on schools that match their interests, and universities can reach future students that are interested in not only the institution, but the programs and academic coursework that it offers."
For more information about the "College of the Day" mobile newsletter, simply text UTEXT to 68247, or visit usphere.com. To learn more about OTAir's mobile marketing services, text OTAIR to 68247, or visit otair.com.
About U Sphere, Inc.
U Sphere, Inc., headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, works with students throughout the globe to match them with the colleges and universities that are appropriate for them. The company's proprietary platform includes an application tool and "Personality Profile," which aims to get at the character traits that are most in line with the needs of U Sphere's college and university clients (in North America and around the world). Schools can then make an offer of admission to those students who they think will fit in best on campus.
About OTAir LLC
OTAir is a Richmond, VA based mobile marketing and media firm specializing in text message marketing. OTAir empowers consumers with the ability to actively engage the promotion of a product, service, event, company or organization they are interested in. OTAir's services extend the message and impact of traditional marketing media with instant information or coupons directly to the user's cell phone and with additional information at the user's OTAir.com inbox. Advertisers simply reserve one or more exclusive keywords with OTAir and place a call to action on their marketing for the mobile user to text the keyword to 68247 (OTAIR).
Note to editors:
Neither U Sphere nor OTAir charge subscription fees for the service; however, normal text messaging charges apply to individual subscribers.
Contacts:
Jim Washok, OTAir LLC
Phone: (804) 750-2058
Night line: (804) 306-8963
Dave Van de Walle, U Sphere, Inc.
Phone: (224) 766-0003