MMA committees and working groups consist of executives who discuss key issues for a specific industry segment, technology or business issue. The committees and working groups meet on an ongoing basis to develop and execute industry initiatives that reflect the needs of their initiative area and membership.
MMA COMMITTEES - May 2012
MEASUREMENT
Mobile Analytics
Focus will be on identifying and articulating best practice approaches to mobile measurement and data collection. Mobile is much different than web, and the complexities and nuances require careful consideration of the role mobile plays in all aspects of the marketing funnel, from brand awareness to engagement to conversion to loyalty. This group is comprised of analytics experts from companies in measurement, media, brand marketing, advertising and ad networks.
Co-Chairs – TBD, Coca-Cola and Mike Ricci, WebTrends
Initiatives: The group will be first focusing on what are the primary differences, and advantages, that mobile might offer versus the web. This will manifest itself in a white paper entitled “What Makes Mobile Measurement Different to Online.” In support of this, the group is in the process of preparing use cases that illustrate the distinctions. Also, the team will be leveraging work done by WebTrends for Microsoft that will allow us to begin prioritizing the mobile analytics areas within the marketing funnel for best practice development.
Currency (Advertising)
Working with the IAB and the MRC, to develop the smartest ad counting methodology for mobile advertising. Unlike the current state of Internet currency measurement, we are just beginning to understand exactly how mobile ads are being served, counted, filtered and reported. A great deal of discovery is underway, and the level of transparency required of third party and proprietary ad servers will be a needed jolt to the system. This group will always collaborate with other industry bodies, but will lead special efforts as needed that emanate from “mobile only” players and situations.
Co-Chairs – Leo Scullin, MMA
Initiatives: The development of In-App Ad Counting guidelines has been underway since early 2011 and is expected to come to market in October 2012. As this effort continues, the issue of high discrepancies in mobile ad campaigns is necessitating a new course of action. Therefore, the MMA, MRC and IAB will be updating the Mobile Web Ad Measurement Guidelines immediately and will bring this guidance to market before the In App guidance. This will draw attention to the underlying issues in the market today, and will highlight the need for more conservative and reliable counting.
Research and Audience Measurement
Audience measurement is a critical component for any medium looking to establish its place in a marketers media mix. Mobile has just begun to attract enough attention from marketers to deserve first class audience measurement. While the major audience measurement firms have added mobile to their product suites, many open issues and opportunities remains to be examined and independently assessed. The group will need to establish best in class standards around measuring mobile audiences.
Co-Chairs – TBD
Initiatives: Need to take advantage of the market opportunity here; MMA can own this space.
ADVERTISING
Global Mobile Advertising
Identify issues and areas of the global mobile advertising market where concerted efforts can help reduce friction and increase market liquidity, making it easier for buyers and sellers to conduct business. This will be done primarily by establishing standards for mobile ad unit sizes, as well as offering guidance on emerging platforms such as tablets. Members will also come to us to address issues that are confounding market development, such as the lack of uniform definitions in reporting (e.g., mobile rich media metrics) or the unique complexities of certain mobile platforms (e.g., mobile video).
Co-Chairs – Mobile Video Task Force – Will Kassoy, AdColony and Anne Schelle, Acta Wireless
Leo Scullin and Paul Berney (MMA) are driving the Rich Media team; Leo Scullin is driving the North American efforts. Leo Scullin, John Bianchi and Noreen McCaffrey (MMA) lead the compliance effort.
Initiatives: two working groups are formed and two more are in development.
- Mobile Video Task Force – this group is currently surveying the mobile video ecosystem to confirm a definition of mobile video, and to see what ad formats are supported within this definition. Also, two working groups will be formed to address 1) operational efficiencies and 2) technical gasp that remain outside of other industry efforts (i.e., ORMMA, MRAID, etc.,).
- Mobile Rich Media Metrics Reporting Task Force – this group has developed a set of definitions that cover the standard metrics that deserve to be reported exactly the same way by each and every player. This will be released for industry review and adoption in Summer 2012.
- UMAP / Emerging Platform Task Force – this effort is a continuation of the group’s assessment of ad unit sizes, and will periodically report on effective and popular ad units being adopted in new platforms, particularly tablets.
- MMA UMAP Compliance Program – MMA is rolling out and tracking the adoption of UMAP v.2.0 and is setting up a compliance page on the MMA web site for MMA members to attest to their compliance with the UMAP program.
PRIVACY
Privacy & Advocacy
As privacy concerns among consumers, regulators, legislators, advocates and businesses continue to remain at a high pitch, there is an on-going need to be aware of and to address pertinent issues. This group gives all members the opportunity to join with other privacy professionals to discuss and consider the privacy implications of many mobile marketing situations and opportunities, while offering the market careful guidance. Many issues arising will have serious impact on mobile business models so the committee initiatives are merely the first step member companies can take in developing comprehensive approaches to privacy. Furthermore, up until now this committee has had a US focus but the MMA is beginning to develop a separate EU Privacy Committee. MMA Managing Director for EMEA, Paul Berney, is commencing that effort in Summer 2012.
Co-Chairs – Alan Chapell, Chapell & Associates and Jennifer Barrett-Glasgow, Acxiom
Initiatives: This primary effort of this group is to offer succinct guidance to the market on the responsible use of the unique identifiers associate with mobile devices, what we are calling MUIDs. After convening a meeting with top privacy professionals in NYC on May 15, the MUID Task Force is committed to developing a framework that outlines the various applications of MUID usage, and the relative privacy implications posed by each use. This will offer valuable guidance to the marketplace now, but we will also stay tuned to an evolving market in order to offer refined insights and best practices.
Because privacy and mobile represent such a potent area of interest this committee will be responding to market developments while always looking to identify, if not stay ahead of, emerging issues and developments.
MESSAGING
Messaging Committee
The mission of this group will be expanded beyond the original task of maintenance of the carrier playbooks as iterated through the Consumer Best Practices document. The new focus of this group will be to embrace and articulate all valid messaging approaches for brand marketers, while continuing to emphasize the marketing best practices that should be followed. The committee will be comprised of working groups that will play important roles in advocating for healthy and effective messaging channels.
Co-Chairs – TBD
Initiatives: These are the pressing areas coming into 2012.
- CBP Messaging Maintenance – led by Kirsten McMullen of 4INFO and Karen Bruce of Cincinnati Bell. This team will manage the alignment and streamlining of the MMA's CBP V6.1 in accord with CTIA and WMC. The goal is not to add to and reshape this document as before, but instead to refine it to contain the essential set of rules that back up the CTIA's CMEP. Kirsten and Karen are already at work, evaluating CBP and finding ways to refine and improve it. At the same time, this Task Force will hold regular meetings with MMA, CTIA and WMC to review current audits and rules, working to make the whole process smoother and more consistent. Importantly, this group will be the advocates for MMA members regarding the viability and logic of the rules that are being developed, audited against and enforced.
- Marketing Best Practices Task Force – led by Jeff Hasen, Hipcricket and Michael Levinsohn, iLoop Mobile. This team will begin working on the best practices a marketer should follow to be successful with messaging programs. This will, initially produce a relatively short list of tenets that will give brand marketers and their enabling partners high level guidance on how to conduct high quality messaging programs. This output will have global implications, and may lend itself to regional variations for other parts of the world at a later date.
- Messaging Innovation Task Force – we have used other descriptors up till now (i.e., Emerging Messaging Solutions or Platforms) but after speaking with various members we think that this name gives it the broader mandate it deserves. If it is not CSC, then it probably falls into this area, which will include push notifications, long code, search and many others. Leadership for this effort has not yet been finalized
- MMA/CTIA Joint Task Force – created to help codify and increase the “fast track” program that gets major brands’ messaging programs approved and running expeditiously. Identify added areas to focus on improving the process, and to support the evolving MMA/CTIA relationship.
- TCPA Task Force – this group will be formed to coordinate the activities and knowledge surrounding the TCPA lawsuits, and activities that members are taking, such as petitioning the FCC, forging opinion letters and advocating positions with regulators and legislators.
APPS
Mobile Applications
The MMA is viewing mobile apps through the eyes of a brand marketer. What does a brand or their agency or media partners need to know about apps. This group is examining Mobile Apps as a media channel that needs to be optimized in the following areas: development, user design, distribution and monetization. The Committee has agreed to focus on the latter two, at first and have formed Task Forces supporting them. In the near future we will also give more attention to development and design, but for now we are instead looking at the broader issue of Relevancy, and how this is essential in the consideration of any mobile app. We will be presenting the initial findings in these three areas at the MMA Forum in NYC at a post conference session on June 14th. Later, we will try to apply our learnings to select market verticals, starting with Healthcare and Media & Entertainment.
Co-Chairs – Distribution Task Force: Jai Jaisihma, Open Mobile Solutions
Monetization Task Force: Patricia Clark, Zumobi
Initiatives: Once the Task Forces present at the MMA Forum, the committee will reconvene to determine how add to this body of work, including insights on development, design and marketing for mobile apps. A white paper is envisioned.
PUBLISHING
Publishing Committee
Brings together traditional media publishers to address new and common issues in the multi-platform environment. Of immediate concern is the looming problem of discrepancies in mobile ad serving, and the group is working with other industry bodies to begin addressing this. Also, there is a desire to collaborate around mobile sales leadership, both for networking and to raise and address new problems with mobile sales organizations.
Co-Chairs: Andy Vogel, Tribune with Leo Scullin, MMA and Brendan Reiley, Gannett running point on the discrepancy issue (with Leo Scullin).
Initiatives: the Discrepancy Working Group, comprised of publisher ad ops people, has met with the Media Rating Council (MRC) and the IAB to get more visibility into the mobile ad serving practices. The initial session demonstrated that there is no consistency in how ad serving is being done, nor is there a consistent, isolated set of problems. The management effort will be transitioned over to the Currency Committee, which is now in the midst of addressing this concern within the development of In App and Mobile Web Ad Measurement Guidelines.
MOBILE COMMERCE
Mobile Commerce
The MMA formed this committee to become a central communication channel to brand marketers, focusing their attention on the most critical factions of the Mobile Commerce ecosystem. Mobile Commerce is particularly important as it relates to brand marketers establishing a comprehensive mobile presence that befits their industry and product category. A number of member companies are planning on stepping into leadership roles with this group, sharpening the definition of the work effort.
Co-Chairs – TBD
Initiatives:
- Mobile Payments Task Force – Co-chairs: Shawn Flynn, Syniverse and Bob Gold, Gold Mobile This group is revving up to address the opportunities and challenges in executing mobile payment efforts. The initial focus will be on getting carriers to support SMS payments for services (not hard goods). Use cases are being developed, as is the development of the specific set of barriers that must be addressed for carrier consideration. More MMA members are being recruited right now.
- Mobile Couponing Task Force – Alberto Benbunan, Mobile Dreams and Sharon Wahrmund, Inmar – has produced a comprehensive white paper in early 2011 and would like to extend this to the EMEA and LATAM regions. Some NA members have raised their hands to help but MMA feels we need more regional participation.
- Mobile Barcodes Task Force – Alberto Benbunan, Mobile Dreams and Nicole Skogg, SpyderLynk – produced an excellent white paper on barcodes, bringing in every major player into the review process. This may be subject to updating but not in the near term.
EDUCATION
Education and Evangelism
This committee’s mission is being reshaped to conform with the new MMA education business model. We will have working groups that will address either Certification or Curriculum issues. We will ask for committee members to volunteer to help MMA establish the right criteria for proper certification (and the associated levels therein), lending unique authority to the overall certification efforts. We also request subject matter experts within discreet areas of mobile marketing, to work in small teams to collaboratively assist in curriculum development.
Initiatives: to be developed in conjunction with MMA Director of Education.
- Certification Criteria Task Force – leveraging the expertise of member companies, including brands that are successful mobile marketers, we will form a working group that will have a key and discerning role in defining the most important criteria for success in mobile.
- Curriculum Development Task Force – this will have rotating membership, depending on the subject matter needed by the MMA. We will work with John Arnold to prioritize and sequence this work effort.
