Major U.S. mobile players support MMA program to assist affiliate mobile marketers

New York, London, UK, Singapore & Sao Paulo: July 15, 2009 - The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) today announced the creation of an MMA Membership program specifically tailored for the affiliate marketer operating in the mobile space. The MMA Affiliate Member program was created to benefit the Affiliate Marketers that follow the Consumer Best Practices and Global Code of Conduct, and simultaneously address the increasing instances of poor user experience that result from misleading advertising practices in premium short-code programs. By becoming an MMA Affiliate Member, companies agree to follow MMA guidelines outlined in the U.S. Consumer Best Practices and Global Code of Conduct, and -- in turn -- receive industry recognition that they are both educated in and agree to abide by industry self-regulation guidelines published and maintained by the MMA.

MMA Affiliate Members benefit by receiving education in recent policy and self-regulatory decisions, insight into MMA initiatives and networking opportunities. Carriers, content providers and aggregators have a trusted pool of acquisition marketers educated in the industry’s best practices. Consumers benefit from a dramatic reduction of misleading advertisements that do not comply with Consumer Best Practices.

In addition to the recent announcement that the MMA incorporated Tier 1 U.S. carrier playbooks into the U.S. Consumer Best Practices document, the Affiliate Member program is part of a series of landmark initiatives that the MMA is launching to reduce the barriers to growth in the mobile marketing industry while enriching the consumer experience.

From inception, companies such as Mobile Messenger, VeriSign® Messaging and Mobile Media, MX Telecom, PlayPhone, Cellfish Media and NextWeb Media have committed time, energy and support to the MMA Affiliate Members initiative.

“PlayPhone is proud to support the MMA and its efforts with the Affiliate Membership program that further improve the experience between marketers and consumers,” said Ron Czerny, Founder & CEO of PlayPhone.

“We appreciate and support the MMA’s initiative in launching the Affiliate Member program. Increased adherence to MMA guidelines and best practices makes for a clean playing field for those who wish to cooperate and see the industry grow while -- at the same time -- protecting consumers’ interests,” says Jill Labert, VP of Marketing for NextWeb Media.

“By recognizing a pre-approved network of affiliates, aggregators, carriers and content providers can focus on new products and services. This initiative will provide assurance that affiliate partners will be focused on consumer protection, leading to overall development of the mobile ecosystem,” said Alykhan Govani, CEO of North America for MX Telecom.

“Through its Affiliate Member program, the MMA is working across the entire mobile ecosystem to ensure that all players follow best practices to further improve the consumer mobile experience,” said Rob Kramer, Director of Sales for VeriSign Messaging and Mobile Media. “VeriSign is an active member of the MMA and fully supports this initiative as it enables the industry and our content providers’ marketing partners to benefit from the MMA guidelines and best practices.”

“The Affiliate Members program is the latest example of how the MMA identifies and proactively addresses issues that affect both consumers and the mobile channel opportunity,” said MMA president and CEO Mike Wehrs. “This new program is a win-win because it means more individuals will follow MMA guidelines and best practices, benefitting the ecosystem, while consumers will be better protected from misleading advertising while interacting with their mobile device.”

For more information about the new Affiliate Marketer membership, including registration and eligibility requirements, visit http://mmaglobal.com/affiliates.

About the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade 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 use of the mobile channel. The more than 700 member companies, representing over forty countries around the globe, include all members of the mobile media ecosystem. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and it has regional chapters including North America (NA), Europe (EUR), Latin America (LATAM), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com.
 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Valerie Christopherson or
Grace Mourey
Global Results Comm. (GRC)
P:+1 949 608 0276
E: [email protected]

Jen Allen, Becca Daniel or Chrissie McGoldrick
Mi liberty Ltd
P: +44 20 7751 4444
E: [email protected]

Maria Ramirez or Julio Gama
Newlink PR
Tel: 305 5327950
Email: [email protected]

Sonya Madeira Stamp
Rice Communications Pte Ltd
Tel: +65 6227 1550
Email: [email protected]