Telefônica Vivo, the Brazilian incarnation of the international telco, has launched ‘Chamada Patrocinada’ – a service that gives customers a minute of free calls, every day, in exchange for being attentive to a fifteen-second audio ad.

At the tip of the decision, the shopper will receive an SMS with additional information.

Advertisers – with Unilever being the 1st to enroll – might be offered the choice to either play their message to all subscribers using the service, or to a segmented demographic.

“It is a chance for corporations to succeed in our clients, especially the pre-paying customers”, says Andreza Santana, mobile advertising manager at Telefônica Digital. “For brands, the cell phone becomes a brand new communications channel with the general public that makes possible segmentation, presenting the message in a clearer and more personalized way. To the client, the service is a benefit, because it offers minutes of free calls.”

Chamada Patrocinada represents an interesting way of doing mobile advertising in a feature phone-dominated market – and one that a great deal emphasises the idea of a ‘value exchange’, with users opting to hear ads in order to receive something without spending a dime.