Mobile Marketing Forum Opens in Hong Kong Showcasing Asia Developments

MMA Asia-Pacific Industry Leadership Continues as Leaders Discuss
Mobile Marketing Advancements

Hong Kong, Mobile Marketing Forum  – Dec. 6, 2007 — The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) )www.mmaglobal.com), which represents more than 500 member companies worldwide, today opened its Asia Pacific )APAC) Mobile Marketing Forum )www.mobilemarketingforum.com), which takes place in the Hong Kong Convention Centre, in partnership with Mobility World Congress & Exhibition. The day-long event brings together global industry leaders to discuss advancements in mobile marketing and emerging opportunities for marketers as well as the latest case studies from companies such as Acision, Isobar, mBlox, Mobile2Win, Turkcell, Yahoo! Mobile and more. 

The APAC Mobile Marketing Forum represents the final MMA event of the 2007 calendar year providing delegates the opportunity to hear about the year’s successes.  Commenting on the event, opening keynote presenter Gene Keenan, vice president mobile strategies for Isobar stated, “APAC is an advanced mobile market with consumers already utilizing the feature-rich capabilities of today’s phones.  And, now we’re starting to see brands and marketers in the region maximize the potential of mobile for marketing purposes in Asia through consumer desired opt-in and opt-out campaigns.”

President of the MMA, Laura Marriott added, “We launched the MMA Asia chapter in February this year and have achieved several significant milestones including the development of regionalized advertising guidelines to ensure consumer’s interests remain at the forefront of all mobile marketing campaigns.  During today’s Mobile Marketing Forum we will review the progress made in both the industry and the association as well as highlight growth opportunities for Asia in 2008.”

Sponsored by 160 Characters, Acision, Charged, Digital Media Magazine, Media Magazine, Telecom Asia, Wireless Asia and Yahoo! Mobile, the Mobile Marketing Forum has become the premier event for mobile marketing world-wide which attracts industry leaders from across the ecosystem and globe.  For complete details and registration information for the Mobile Marketing Forum APAC please visit: www.mobilemarketingforum.com.

About the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA)

The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) is the premier global non-profit association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the mobile channel for use by brands and content providers. The 500+ global member companies include agencies, advertisers, hand held device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and all companies focused on marketing via the mobile channel. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and has representatives in over forty countries across the globe.  It recently formed the Europe Middle East & Africa )EMEA) and Asia Pacific )APAC) divisions.  The Latin American )LATAM) division will be launched in the coming months.  For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Valerie Christopherson or

Kirsten Woodard

Global Results Comm. )GRC)

+1 949 608 0276

[email protected]

[email protected]

Mobile Marketing Association Publishes Asia-Pacific Mobile Advertising Guidelines

Release of APAC Ad Guidelines Reflects Significant Milestone for MMA APAC Chapter!

 HONG KONG – Mobile Marketing Forum APAC – Dec. 6, 2007 — The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA), )www.mmaglobal.com), which represents more than 500 member companies worldwide, today announced the release of its Mobile Advertising Guidelines tailored specifically for the Asia-Pacific )APAC) region. The guidelines are designed to foster the uptake of mobile advertising by brands and marketers throughout the region, as well as enhance and ensure a positive and consistent consumer experience.

The guidelines make it easier for global and regional brands and marketers to develop mobile advertising campaigns while ensuring the campaigns are delivered consistently on the majority of mobile devices.

The APAC Mobile Advertising Committee is chaired by Joshua Maa, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Madhouse, Inc.  “As brands and marketers throughout the APAC region look to harness the mobile channel, they’ve been asking for clear, timely guidelines to help guide their strategies and decisions,” Maa said. “The MMA APAC Mobile Advertising Guidelines directly address that need by providing detailed, step-by-step guidelines designed to help create effective campaigns that provide a consistently good user experience, regardless of each customer’s device and network.”

“The APAC region has a history of being a worldwide leader in mobile technologies and usage,” said Laura Marriott, president of the MMA. “The MMA APAC Mobile Advertising Guidelines are designed to offer a consistent set of formats for the broadest range of devices in the region in order to provide a framework to ensure consistency for both marketers and mobile users.  The guidelines will help to drive even faster development of mobile advertising in the region. The MMA has been leading in the development of mobile advertising guidelines for the global marketplace, having released guidelines for both North America and EMEA previously.”

The guidelines are supported by the GSM Association, the global trade association for the mobile industry representing more than 700 mobile operators. “These guidelines are an important step in the development of the mobile advertising market in Asia Pacific,” said Bill Gajda, chief commercial officer of the GSMA. “We are working with the MMA to create a sustainable advertising environment so that mobile advertising will quickly reach its potential to the benefit of all players in the ecosystem.”

Produced by the MMA APAC Mobile Advertising Committee, the guidelines provide detailed, hands-on information about creating, formatting and using Mobile Web banner ads. Topics include:

•  Design principles and style guides

•  Technical requirements and considerations, such as handset display capabilities

•  Advertising units, such as banner dimensions and aspect ratios

The MMA founded the APAC Mobile Advertising Committee in early 2007 to create a library of format and policy guidelines for advertising within content on mobile devices. Like MMA Mobile Advertising Committees for other regions,  the APAC committee works to ensure that the industry is taking a proactive approach to keep user experience, content integrity and deployment simplicity as the driving forces behind all mobile advertising programs. 

The MMA APAC Mobile Advertising Guidelines can be downloaded from http://www.mmaglobal.com/apacmobileadvertising.pdf.

About the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA)

The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) is the premier global non-profit association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the mobile channel for use by brands and content providers. The 500+ global member companies include agencies, advertisers, hand held device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and all companies focused on marketing via the mobile channel. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and has representatives in over forty countries across the globe.  It recently formed the Europe Middle East & Africa )EMEA) and Asia Pacific )APAC) divisions.  The Latin American )LATAM) division will be launched in Q1-08.  For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Valerie Christopherson or

Kirsten Woodard

Global Results Comm. )GRC)

+1 949 608 0276

[email protected]

[email protected]

 Mobile Marketing Programs Attracting High Consumer Interest  in Asia

Mobile Marketing Association Announces Study Results Which Provide Insights Into Mobile Marketing

Hong Kong – Mobile Marketing Forum – Dec. 6, 2007 — In order to help brands and marketers identify key market trends, mobile subscriber usage patterns, and success metrics for mobile marketing in the Asia-Pacific )APAC) region, the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) )www.mmaglobal.com) today announced the results of its third-annual APAC Mobile Attitude and Usage Study. The study provides actionable insights into the APAC region’s consumer mobile usage by demographic group, awareness and usage of mobile phone features and services, and interest in and concerns about specific applications.

The study’s key findings include:

• The use of multiple mobile phone features bodes well for acceptance of mobile marketing. Across the APAC region, feature usage is high. Smartphones usage also is high throughout the region, particularly in China and India, giving mobile marketers additional options for developing and executing campaigns

• Roughly half of APAC mobile users express at least moderate interest in mobile marketing, and 13% indicate high interest. The immediacy of the information and convenience of the service are perceived as its greatest benefits.

• Of the countries surveyed, the greatest potential is in India and China, followed by Hong Kong. Furthermore, more users in these countries already have participated in such programs.

• Text messaging usage is high: more than 60% of the region’s uses. This usage translates into a large addressable audience for SMS-based marketing campaigns.

• Regardless of country or age, users are more likely to have experience with sweepstakes/voting and receiving information about new products than with other mobile marketing applications. Applications of interest to the greatest number of potential users are mobile coupons, status alerts about accounts or purchases, alerts on special sales and sweepstakes.

• Greatest barriers to acceptance include lack of need, fear of intrusiveness and cost concerns, a trend consistent with other markets of the world.

The 2007 Mobile Attitude and Usage Study was conducted by Synovate, a global market research firm, on behalf of the MMA. Synovate conducted 1,901 online interviews in October 2007 which looked at mobile usage in China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Japan and Australia.  The MMA has also conducted similar studies in the U.S. and Western Europe.

"This study confirms the attractiveness of the Asia Pacific region for mobile marketing activities. The size of the market is large and mobile phone users are receptive to this application of the technology," said Brendan Shair, Executive Director in Synovate's Hong Kong office. "As seen in the U.S., the Youth Market )18 - 34) is particularly attractive for mobile marketers, given this segment's high dependency on their mobile phones."

“The APAC region is world-renowned for its high wireless penetration and usage of mobile technologies and the 2007 APAC Mobile Attitude and Usage Study provides some new insights into mobile marketing receptiveness,” said Laura Marriott, president of the MMA. “The study will be available, free of charge, to all MMA members early next week.”

About the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) is the premier global non-profit association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the mobile channel for use by brands and content providers. The 500+ global member companies include agencies, advertisers, hand held device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and all companies focused on marketing via the mobile channel. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and has representatives in over forty countries across the globe.  It recently formed the Europe Middle East & Africa )EMEA) and Asia Pacific )APAC) divisions.  The Latin American )LATAM) division will be launched in Q1-08. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Valerie Christopherson or
Kirsten Woodard
Global Results Comm. )GRC)
+1 949 608 0276
[email protected]
[email protected]

Denver, CO and London, U.K. – Nov. 20, 2007 — The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) )www.mmaglobal.com), which represents more than 500 member companies worldwide, reported that last week’s Global Mobile Marketing Forum successfully concluded attracting agencies, brands, carriers and more with representation from more than 10 countries.  For show details, the agenda and general information on additional upcoming Mobile Marketing Forums visit: www.mobilemarketingforum.com.

The Mobile Marketing Forum, held in Los Angeles, featured a wide variety of case studies reviewing real-world campaigns, presented by high-caliber speakers from companies including Clear Channel, CNN, The Coca-Cola Company, eBay, Playboy and Smirnoff.  In addition, the event concluded with the MMA Annual Global Awards Ceremony highlighting accomplishments for innovations and use of the mobile channel for marketing.  A complete list of the 2007 winners can be viewed at: http://mmaglobal.com/modules/article/view.article.php/1732

“The Mobile Marketing Forum and our annual Awards Program are the place for the ecosystem to share insights, provide networking opportunities and offer an open forum to discuss how to continue to drive the industry’s adoption of mobile marketing,” said Laura Marriott, president of the MMA. “We have moved beyond hype to really, making the mobile channel a viable alternative for marketers world-wide.  Forums, like the MMF, will continue to help evangelize how to leverage mobile effectively to achieve a brand’s objectives.”

The November Mobile Marketing Forum was sponsored by the following corporate sponsors:  Air2Web, Amdocs/Qpass, Crisp Wireless, FastCall411, JumpTap, Inc., Kikucall, Lightspeed Research, Limbo, mBlox, Inc., Medio Systems, Inc., Millennial Media, M:Metrics, Mobile Messenger, MX Telecom, Netbiscuits )formerly Dynetic), NeuStar, Nielsen Mobile )formerly Telephia), Single Touch Interactive, SnapTell, Inc., Sprint, The Media Trust, Third Screen Media, Thumbplay, Inc., U.S. Cellular Corp., VeriSign, Inc., Vindigo, Yahoo! Mobile and Zumobi.

The next MMF will be held in Hong Kong on December 6, 2007 and details on registration can be found at www.mobilemarketingforum.com

About the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) is the premier global non-profit association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the mobile channel for use by brands and content providers. The 500+ global member companies include agencies, advertisers, hand held device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and all companies focused on marketing via the mobile channel. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and has representatives in over forty countries across the globe.  It recently formed the Europe Middle East & Africa )EMEA) and Asia Pacific )APAC) divisions.  The Latin American )LATAM) division will be launched in the coming months.  For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Valerie Christopherson or
Kirsten Woodard
Global Results Comm. )GRC)
+1 949 608 0276
[email protected]
[email protected]

Los Angeles – Mobile Marketing Forum –  Nov 16, 2007 — In order to help brands and marketers identify key market trends, mobile subscriber usage patterns, and success metrics for mobile marketing in the United States, the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) )www.mmaglobal.com) today announced the results of its third-annual Mobile Attitude and Usage Study. The study provides insights into overall consumer mobile usage by demographic group, awareness and usage of mobile phone features and services, and interest in and concerns about specific applications. The study is available immediately, free of charge, to all current MMA Global members.

The study’s key findings include:

• Interest in mobile marketing remains as high as it was in the previous two surveys. One in four respondents in the 2007 survey expressed interest in mobile marketing. Although some respondents had difficulty readily associating benefits with mobile marketing, those who do say that they value the ability to receive highly relevant information, the coupons and rewards received and the convenience of accessing the desired applications quickly and easily.
• The number of consumers who have experienced mobile marketing continues to grow. One out of 20 respondents had participated in mobile marketing. The highest participation is among respondents age 25-44.
• Sweepstakes and voting campaigns are the most widely used types of mobile marketing. The second most common type is receiving alerts about products, services, accounts. Ten percent of respondents have used their mobile phones to receive and redeem coupons.
• Ethnic groups are key audiences for mobile marketing. For example, African Americans and English-dominant Hispanics indicate stronger interest in mobile marketing than Caucasians. These findings suggest that the mobile channel can be highly effective for reaching specific ethnic groups.

Teens and young adults use text messaging more than any other demographic. People ages 13-24 send and receive the most – more than 50 messages per week – while half of all survey respondents use text messaging at least once a week. This usage shows that most mobile users are at least familiar with text messaging, if not regular users, making it an effective tool for mobile marketing campaigns.
 
“The 2007 Mobile Attitude and Usage Study reinforces that the mobile channel remains one of the most powerful tools available for brands and companies,” said Laura Marriott, president of the MMA. “U.S. consumers continue to use more of their phones’ features, creating additional opportunities for marketers to reach them with coupons and other relevant, exclusive to mobile information.”

“What’s exciting about this year’s study is the continued escalation in adoption of the camera phone with 58% )up from 35% in 2006) of all consumers now saying they use this feature,” said Gene Keenan, vice president mobile strategies for Isobar.  “This dove tails perfectly with the coming cross-carrier interoperability of picture messaging via a short code.  We expect to see some very innovative campaigns this coming year using picture phoning.”

Keenan also noted, “The really exciting news is the importance that mobile plays in the daily lives of consumers, as we’re experienced through the use of text messaging for social interactions.”

Also noteworthy is that 54 percent of 13-34 year olds use SMS for social networking, while 44 percent of 13-34 year olds said they use text messaging for flirting or dating, and 10 percent of 13-34 year olds said they have broken up with a boy or girl friend using text messaging.

The 2007 study, conducted by Synovate, consisted of 1,405 online interviews using a nationally representative consumer online panel of over 1.5 million households. The sampling plan for the main study sample was identical to the 2005 and 2006 survey waves, in order to ensure maximum compatibility between studies and allow for accurate trending. In addition to the main study sample, the 2006 and 2007 surveys included a booster sample of African-American and Hispanic interviews )18+ years of age).

The study focuses on the U.S. market. The MMA also conducted similar studies in Asia-Pacific and Western Europe, results will be released later in 2007.
 
About the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA)

The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) is the premier global non-profit association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the mobile channel for use by brands and content providers. The 500+ global member companies include agencies, advertisers, hand held device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and all companies focused on marketing via the mobile channel. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and has representatives in over forty countries across the globe. It recently formed the Europe Middle East & Africa )EMEA) and Asia Pacific )APAC) divisions. The Latin American )LATAM) division will be launched Q4 2007. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Valerie Christopherson or
Kirsten Woodard
Global Results Comm. )GRC)
+1 949 608 0276
[email protected]
[email protected]

Los Angeles – Mobile Marketing Forum - Nov. 15, 2007 — Recognizing the continued strong growth and outstanding innovation in the mobile marketing and media industries, the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) )www.mmaglobal.com), which represents more than 500 member companies worldwide, today announced the winners of the MMA Third Annual Mobile Marketing Awards. The awards were presented at the MMA Annual Awards dinner and ceremony on November 14 in Los Angeles, following the MMA’s Mobile Marketing Forum.

“Energy and interest in mobile marketing is growing, based on the strength of the over 260 global submissions to this year’s MMA Awards program,” said Laura Marriott, president of the MMA. “These finalists and winners all demonstrate success in their initiatives and will become good resources for others when they choose to enter the mobile marketing industry.”

“The quality of submissions always makes judging the MMA Awards a challenging but rewarding experience,” said Cyriac Roeding, executive vice president at CBS Corp. and Global Chairman of the MMA. “This year’s submissions were no exception, and they highlight why brands and marketers continue to view the mobile channel as a highly effective way to reach consumers anytime, anywhere.”

The MMA received submissions from companies worldwide across 12 categories. Finalists were selected by an Awards Selection Committee comprised of industry leaders from wireless carriers, technology and content providers, agencies and leading industry publications.

The 2007 MMA awards winners, finalists and honorable mentions are:

Best Use of Mobile Marketing, Branding
•    Winner: The Hyperfactory and Saatchi & Saatchi LA, for the Toyota FJ vs. Baja 1000 campaign
•    Finalists: AKQA Mobile, Quattro Wireless
•    Honorable Mention EMEA: Universal McCann
•    Honorable Mention North America: Motricity

Best Use of Mobile Marketing, Cross-Media Integration
•    Winners: adidas, Isobar and Neighborhood America, for the NBA All-Star Week 2007 campaign
•    Finalists: Bravo To Go and The Hyperfactory and Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
•    Honorable Mention EMEA: Aerodeon Turkey

Best Use of Mobile Marketing, Direct Response
•    Winner: Reliance Communications Ltd., for the Fair & Lovely Scholarships 2007 campaign
•    Finalists: Mobile Dreams Factory, MindShare Interaction India and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance and Vibes Media
•    Honorable Mention APAC: Affle & Aviva
•    Honorable Mention North America: Discovery Channel, Fathom Online, MobiTV and SoLow, a division of SendMe Mobile, Inc.

Best Use of Mobile Marketing, Product/Services Launch
•    Winner: The Hyperfactory and Saatchi & Saatchi LA, for the Toyota FJ vs. Baja 1000 campaign
•    Finalists: Microsoft and MindMatics AG
•    Honorable Mention EMEA: Mobile Dreams Factory and RATP - The Parisian Tube, Aerodeon

Best Use of Mobile Marketing, Promotion
•    Winner: Mobiento Médecins Sans Frontières Sweden, Telenor Sverige AB, for the Working week with Doctors Without Borders campaign
•    Finalists: Limbo & Verizon Wireless and The Hyperfactory
•    Honorable Mention North America: Discovery Channel, Fathom Online, MobiTV and SoLow, a division of SendMe Mobile, Inc.

Best Use of Mobile Marketing, Relationship-Building
•    Winner: R/GA, for the Nike Zoom Mobile campaign
•    Finalists: GOSUB 60, Inc. and The Hyperfactory

Innovation
•    Winner: iLoop Mobile, Inc., for the iLoop Mobile mFinity™ Platform
•    Finalists: Gotuit and Hill Holliday & VeriSign
•    Honorable Mention APAC: Affle

Innovation for Creativity in Media
•    Winner: AirPlay, for the NBA AirPlay Live campaign
•    Finalists: Hearst Digital Media and The Hyperfactory and Ogilvy Hong Kong
•    Honorable Mention APAC: The Hyperfactory and Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
•    Honorable Mention EMEA: Mobile Dreams Factory

Innovation for Creativity in Technology
•    Winner: RATP, the Parisian Tube, Aerodeon France )an Isobar company), for best use of mobile video My RATP in my pocket
•    Finalists: Celltick Technologies, Scottish Power and Incentivated,and Velti

Academic of the Year
•    Winners: Heikki Karjaluoto, University of Jyväskylä, and Matti Leppäniemi, University of Oulu

Overall Excellence )Company or Committee)
•    Winner: MMA Academic Outreach Committee

Outstanding Individual Achievement in Mobile Marketing
•    Winner: Michael Becker, EVP Business Development, iLoop Mobile, Inc.

“I am honored and humbled for having been bestowed such a prestigious award,” said Michael Becker, EVP Business Development for iLoop Mobile. “This award is an acknowledgment of the positive impact my work has had on our young and burgeoning industry, and I’m thankful for the recognition.  I am also thankful to all those that have supported me over the years, including the MMA staff, industry and academic colleagues, iLoop Mobile associates and my family, this award is a testament to the tremendous assistance, contributions and encouragements they’ve afforded me.”

The next MMA Mobile Marketing Forum will be held Dec. 6 in Hong Kong. For the agenda and other information, visit www.mobilemarketingforum.com.

About the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) is the premier global non-profit association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the mobile channel for use by brands and content providers. The 500+ global member companies include agencies, advertisers, hand held device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and all companies focused on marketing via the mobile channel. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and has representatives in over forty countries across the globe. It recently formed the Europe Middle East & Africa )EMEA) and Asia Pacific )APAC) divisions. The Latin American )LATAM) division will be launched Q4 2007. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Valerie Christopherson or
Kirsten Woodard
Global Results Comm. )GRC)
+1 949 608 0276
[email protected]
[email protected]

Los Angeles, Mobile Marketing Forum – Nov. 14, 2007 — The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) )www.mmaglobal.com), which represents more than 500 member companies worldwide, today opened its Mobile Marketing Forum )MMF) in Los Angeles. Held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, this one-day event provides a rare opportunity to learn how major brands and wireless companies such as Clear Channel, CNN, The Coca-Cola Company, eBay, Microsoft, Playboy, Smirnoff and Verizon Wireless, are using mobile marketing to extend their brand message to the consumer.

The MMF )www.mobilemarketingforum.com) wraps up with the MMA Third Annual Mobile Marketing Awards, which recognize excellence and innovation in 12 categories, including Best Use of Mobile Marketing in Branding and Cross-Media Integration, and Innovation for Creativity in Technology.

The MMF features several case studies including mobile banking, radio, mobile advertising for the Hispanic market, off-deck content, mobile entertainment and participation TV. The event also includes several roundtables with industry leaders from across the mobile value chain, including operators, brands, agencies, entertainment and media companies. Keynote addresses include: Chris Lock, Head of Marketing GB – Smirnoff; Dan Rosen, Head of AKQA Mobile; and Henri Moissinac, Director Product Strategy, eBay.

“The Mobile Marketing Forum provides a rare opportunity to learn from the leaders and innovators in mobile marketing,” said Laura Marriott, President of the MMA. “Our event continues to differentiate itself by featuring stories of success from marketers who are realizing the potential of the mobile channel.”

“There is a lot of creativity and innovation in mobile right now and there is a great line up at the MMF this year.  We will be giving guests a never seen before preview of a global mobile initiative of one of the world’s leading brands,” said Daniel Rosen, Head of Mobile for AKQA Mobile.

The next MMA Mobile Marketing Forum will be held Dec. 6 in Hong Kong, in partnership with Mobility World. For the agenda and other information, visit www.mobilemarketingforum.com.

About the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) is the premier global non-profit association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the mobile channel for use by brands and content providers. The 500+ global member companies include agencies, advertisers, hand held device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and all companies focused on marketing via the mobile channel. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and has representatives in over forty countries across the globe.  It recently formed the Europe Middle East & Africa )EMEA) and Asia Pacific )APAC) divisions.  The Latin American )LATAM) division will be launched Q4 2007.  For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Valerie Christopherson or
Kirsten Woodard
Global Results Comm. )GRC)
+1 949 608 0276
[email protected]
[email protected]

Mobile Marketing Forum Findings: Industry Collaboration Key To Success Of Mobile Marketing

London, UK & Denver, CO. 18 October 2007 – The Mobile Marketing Association’s )MMA) Mobile Marketing Forum, )www.mobilemarketingforum.com) held in Barcelona on 9 & 10 October, attracted over 200 industry delegates from across Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America.  The event saw industry leaders speaking about the latest developments in mobile marketing including; advertising, search, communities, and commerce.  Keynote sessions from Acision, Coca-Cola, Enpocket and AKQA Mobile confirmed the mobile marketing industry is gaining traction with brands world-wide. 

Common themes emerging from the event included:

1.    Collaboration & integration; Fundamental to the broad scale adoption of mobile marketing will be industry wide collaboration. By companies pooling together their knowledge and experiences, the industry can advance quickly.

2.    Measurement and Metrics; The development of common currencies and definitions across the mobile ecosystem will help the integration and acceptance of mobile as a key part of the media mix. 

A survey conducted by Airwide Solutions and launched at the Mobile Marketing Forum )Oct. 07) demonstrates the need for more metrics and found big brands claimed that up to 10% of recipients of mobile marketing campaigns requested more information as a result of receiving a mobile marketing message grew from 32% in 2006 to 58% in 2007. The survey also found that more brands are looking to spend a greater proportion of their marketing budget on mobile campaigns in the near future with 71% of brands projecting to spend up to 10% of their budget on mobile marketing within two years' time.

3.    Consumer privacy; is key to growing the industry. Relevance and consumer pull are the foundation elements for a positive consumer experience. Developments such as the MMA EMEA mobile advertising guidelines help to ensure a clear and consistent interaction.

Leif Fågelstedt, Chief Operating Officer, Blyk, “When brands can see how mobile can be used successfully within marketing and advertising campaigns, then we will see them invest in mobile.  This will shape the future of the industry.” 

Laura Marriott, President, MMA commented, “Ensuring a positive consumer experience is paramount for all players in the ecosystem.  All attendees at this event understand the need for consumer privacy and protection in order to protect the long term sustainability of mobile as a viable media channel.  The goal of the MMA is to lead in the development of guidelines and best practices to ensure consistency, rapid deployment and ease of access.”
The intersection of mobile search and advertising was highlighted by Richard Siber, Interim CMO and Board Member, JumpTap, “Search plays a pivotal role in enhancing the user experience. By intersecting search with advertising, it becomes highly relevant to the consumer and effective marketing messages can reach the intended audience.”   

Daphne Loukas, CEO, Out There Media said, “This was one of the best events I have attended in Europe with a whole range of industry players to learn from.  It’s been apparent from the Forum’s sessions that the industry needs to collaborate to progress this industry forward.  We see the EMEA mobile advertising guidelines the MMA launched recently as essential to progress the industry and will be implementing them.”

Join the MMA at one of its upcoming 2007 events:
•    Mobile Marketing Forum, Nov. 14, Los Angeles
•    Mobile Marketing Forum, Dec. 6, Hong Kong

ENDS

About the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) is the premier global non-profit association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the mobile channel for use by brands and content providers. The 450+ global member companies include agencies, advertisers, hand held device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and all companies focused on marketing via the mobile channel. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and has representatives in over forty countries across the globe.  It recently formed the Europe Middle East & Africa )EMEA) and Asia Pacific )APAC) divisions.  The Latin American )LATAM) division will be launched Q4 2007.  For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com

The MMA would like to thank its event partners for MMF EMEA including: 160characters, BERG Insight, GoMo News, Informa Telecoms & Media, MobiAd Network, Mobile 2.0 Analyst, Mobile Communications Europe, Mobile Communications International, Mobile Entertainment, Mobile Marketing Magazine, Mobile Messaging Analyst, Mobile Media, Interactiva, El Periódico de la Publicidad, Anuncios, EL Publicista, Acision, Amdocs, Ericsson, JumpTap, Medio Systems, dotMobi )mTLD), Sports.comm, Velti, WIN PLC and Yahoo! Mobile, dotMobi Advisory Group, GSMA – GSM Association and MDA – Mobile Data Association.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Hinda Smith or Jen Allen
Mi liberty Ltd
P: +44 20 7751 4444
[email protected]
[email protected]


Valerie Christopherson or
Kirsten Woodard
Global Results Comm. )GRC)
+1 949 608 0276
[email protected]
[email protected]