Hot30 on Messenger launches with ninemsn’s first interactive "agent"
ninemsn.com.au/messenger
Sydney, Australia, Thursday 9 October 2008:ninemsn has this week launched its latest innovation in social networking with a new Austereo partnership to create Hot30 on Windows Live Messenger.
Hot30 on Messenger features Heidi, a specially created interactive Windows Live Agent of a 19 year old blond surfer girl, that can be added as a contact on Windows Live Messenger and answers people's questions 24/7 about the Hot30 Countdown.
The move combines the country's most popular instant messaging service with over 4.5million Australians using Messenger, and the country’s most popular music countdown with over 1 million listeners nightly.
"We know that when people are listening to Austereo’s Hot30 they are also on Messenger – we have a totally shared audience, so to create a clever and engaging way of combining the two made perfect sense," said ninemsn head of social networking Kate Beddoe.
On air, Austereo will encourage people to add Heidi as a friend on their Messenger contact list, while there are weekly prizes to be won. Hot30 on Messenger also integrates through a minisite with updated Hot30 content and limited edition emoticons featuring the show’s hosts and Heidi.
"We're incredibly excited about this partnership as it's a brilliant way for our listeners to interact with the Hot30 via Messenger. Austereo is constantly looking at new ways to get our shows interacting with listeners," said Austereo head of digital Jeremy Macvean.
Hot 30 on Messenger is the latest innovation for ninemsn's Windows Live Messenger product, with the recent Launch of Dolly messenger and its biggest promotion, Friend Magnet, both launching in recent weeks.
-ENDS-
NOTES TO EDITORS:
For further information, please contact:
Andrea Kerekes, Access PR, 02 9279 4011, andrea@accesspr.com.au
