Hotmob wants to place ads on smartphone lock screens

Lock-screen advertising on mobile phones, an ad format Hotmob calls 'Showbox', has been patented for Android devices in Hong Kong.

These adverts appear whenever users who have downloaded the Showbox mobile app unlock their smartphones. They can choose to slide the navigation bar to the left to engage with the ads, or skip them to enter their homescreens right away.

Engagements include claiming a deal, watching a video, 'liking' a Facebook Page or viewing a campaign landing page.

The incentive for users to download the Showbox application is to be rewarded with 'points' which can be converted to money to redeem vouchers or gifts at outlets such as online gadget store Knewone, transferred to PayPal accounts or donated to charities like the Lifelong Animal Protection Charity (LAP) in Hong Kong.

Advertisers can "gain instructive brand recall" through this, according to Johnny Wong, CEO of Hotmob. So far, 20 undisclosed advertisers from the automobile, beauty & cosmetics, camera, movie, sportswear, F&B and office equipment sectors have been confirmed, according to the company.

A beta version of the app is scheduled to be launched for 20,000 pre-registered users on Wednesday.