Dear Readers,

Welcome to the August 2006 edition of the MMA Messenger.

In many ways, summer is supposed to be a respite from the rest of the year. Perhaps it's a time to go to the beach, spend time with friends and family, or simply slow down a bit. And many of our active members have done just that (with the occasional text message to a friend, or mobile web session to check a sports score or restaurant review).

At the same time, this summer has been extremely busy as we have seen activity with various initiatives. I'd like to highlight three of them here: global growth, the new MMA report on mobile search, and activities coming up in the fall.

First, the MMA Global chapter now has over 220 members from 23 countries (and over 340 members world-wide including local chapters). Adding to the broad representation, Greece is the newest country to have an MMA Global member. We are joining together around the world to build sustainable businesses with practical, consumer-friendly approaches to business and fresh ideas. For all who are interested, we will be holding our European Mobile Marketing Forum and Annual General Member Meeting (AGM) in Istanbul, Turkey on October 10 and 11, 2006. Also we will be very active in Asia with a series of meetings centered around Hong Kong in early December.

Second, just last week we released our first-ever survey on mobile search. It is very clear that search will emerge as an integral part of the mobile marketing environment. However we are still very early and many of our member companies are working hard to understand how mobile search will fit into their product and marketing portfolios. We sincerely hope that this report will help with some of the building blocks, accelerating the adoption curve.

Third, we are moving full swing into the fall event cycle, and there is a lot to talk about. In addition to the European and Asian events noted above, we also will hold our Global Mobile Marketing Forum, Awards Program and AGM in Los Angeles on November 28 and 29, 2006. Also please note that there is still time to make submissions for our annual MMA awards – details follow later in the newsletter as well as on our home page (mmaglobal.com). Mobile marketing will also be a major area of focus at events including CTIA in L.A. in September, DMA in San Francisco in October, and Ad:Tech in New York in November. There are many more events domestically and abroad but this is a sampling- so please be ready to jump in and learn as we try to build a great and vibrant marketplace, together.

On behalf of the MMA, I want to extend our appreciation to the many people in many organizations who have helped to advance mobile marketing this summer, from events and meetings to publications to active campaigns. I look forward to this fall, knowing that we have lots of momentum and also that we are in some ways only at the beginning of a new stage of an extraordinary journey.

Regards,

Louis Gump
Chairman, Mobile Marketing Association &
Vice President Mobile, The Weather Channel

2006 MMA AWARDS PROGRAM
Nominations are being accepted for the MMA’s 2006 Awards!  This is your opportunity to recognize industry leaders and their commitment to excellence in marketing the mobile channel.  Awards will be given in the following categories:

• Best Use Of Mobile Marketing including branding, direct response, promotion, relationship building, product and/or services launch, search marketing and cross media integration
• Innovation Award
• Innovation Award for Creativity including technology and/or media
• Outstanding Individual Achievement In Mobile Marketing
• Mobile Marketing Association Award For Overall Excellence (Company and/or Committee)

For more information, please click HERE.  To download a nomination form, please click HERE.

The deadline to submit nominations is September 30, 2006.

The 2006 Awards Dinner & Ceremony will take place immediately following the MMA's Mobile Marketing Forum, November 28, 2006 in Los Angeles, California.

MMA MEMBER DIRECTORY
As a benefit to its members, the MMA is creating a Member Directory.  The directory will be issued twice yearly to promote MMA member companies.  We will begin compiling information shortly.  The directory will provide company information for MMA members as well as relevant points of contact.  The directory will be issued industry-wide and available for download from the MMA website.  Stay tuned for more information. 

Mobile Marketing Association Announces Mobile Search Study Key Findings
Mobile search awareness and usage continue to grow; 50% of cell phone users who have yet to use mobile search expect to try the service in the next few months.
To view the complete release, please click HERE.

Mobile Marketing Association Adds Three New Board Members
Newest Board Members Further Reinforce Industry Leadership and Caliber of Companies Engaged in Growing Mobile Channel
To view the complete release, please click HERE.

Mobile Search
By Laura Marriott | August 10, 2006
ClickZ
To View Direct Article, click HERE.
Internet users tend to surf the Web to find information for term papers, business competitors, and prices for flights, used cars, and mortgages. Mobile subscribers, on the other hand, look for ring tones, graphics, games, and, at times, hotels, weather, or sport scores. In the near term, we expect Internet searches to cover a broader range of searches, while mobile searches, by either design or user-demonstrated usage, will be more mobile specific.
To view the complete article, please click HERE.

Mobile Marketing: An Agency Perspective
By Laura Marriott | July 27, 2006
ClickZ
To View Direct Article, click HERE.
Check out this great ad from Optimus in Portugal, which demonstrates the viral power of mobile. A woman discovers a beached whale and, via mobile, sends video and picture messages to all her friends. This results in a large gathering, and, somehow, they actually manage to push the whale back into the ocean.
To view the complete article, please click HERE.

Purchase the MMA International Journal of Mobile Marketing today!
The MMA International Journal of Mobile Marketing (MMA-IJMM), the world’s first journal dedicated to mobile marketing, is tasked with helping the industry better understand the emergence of the mobile channel and its use for marketing.

The MMA-IJMM is issued by the MMA Academic Outreach Committee and contains research and contributions from academics, industry experts and thought leaders.

Order your copy by clicking HERE.

Mobile Search Consumer Insights Research Report
The Mobile Search Committee released the results of their Consumer Insights research in early August.  The report is available, free of charge, to all MMA members.  If you are looking for additional information on the report, please see the press release HERE.

Mobile Advertising Standards
Mobile Advertising guidelines and best practices are one of the key initiatives being undertaken by the MMA.  MMA Ad Standards committee members are currently working on research and guidelines around:

• Messaging
• Mobile web
• Mobile television & video
• Downloads

The Committee will be releasing updated guidelines in September  -- with new formats to follow later in the Fall.  For a current version of the mobile advertising guidelines, please click HERE.

TV & Video Use on the Mobile Phone
The NPD Group                                                      

Watching mobile TV or viewing video clips remains a very limited activity, with just 1% to 2% of mobile phone users doing so in recent months. This activity is expected to ramp up later this year and into 2007 as newer delivery technologies enter the market, specifically MediaFLO and DVB-H.



To view the MMA webpage with this research, please click HERE.

A Comparison of Mobile Content Consumption Between Hispanic and the Total Population of Mobile Subscribers

MORE RESEARCH FROM M:METRICS!  Please click HERE.

Waxberg Consulting:  Location Based Services and the Young Adult Market
MMA MEMBERS RECEIVE 50% OFF THIS REPORT-ACT NOW! 
A new primary market research report from Waxberg Consulting reveals that Young Adults have a very strong interest in Location Based Services.  The research analyzed these services from the users’ perspective by examining two markets – Young Adults and Young Adult College Students – for Targeted Advertising, College Campus Communications, and Information Services.
To view complete details, please click HERE.

Academic Review: 

Mobile Marketing Research Priorities: Roadmap to Engaging the “Connected Customer”

Michael Becker, EVP Business Development, iLoop Mobile, Inc.; Michael Hanley, Assistant Professor of Advertising, Ball State University.

Prepared for the Global Mobile Marketing Association
(For more information, or to discuss this article in more detail, please contact Michael Becker at research@mmaglobal.com)


“…the ‘connected customer’ era may change the paradigm for effective marketing strategy.”
(Marketing Science Institute 2006)

Consumers and business customers are gaining significant power in today’s technologically advanced digital, virtual and globalized world. More than ever before, customers have the power to make informed choices through increased real-time access to a broad range of information, communication and decision making tools. It’s the marketers job to offer relevant services to their target audience, however, due to the fragmentation and explosive growth of media channels and the ability of customers to time-shift with DVRs, the Internet, mobile phones and related technology, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult for marketers to capture the attention and maintain an on-going, profitable, relationship with their target audience.
To view the complete Academic Review, please click HERE.

Membership Hits New Heights!

The Mobile Marketing Association’s membership continues to grow at record rates.  We welcome the following new members to the MMA:

• Abandon Mobile
• AdMob Inc.
• Crisp Wireless
• Hook Mobile
• inFreeDA
• Levendo Holdings, LLC
• m-invent inc.
• Newsphone Hellas SA
• PhotoCrank, Inc.
• Publicis Groupe
• Quickplay Media
• R/GA
• Tribune Company
• Ultext Solutions
• Velti PLC
• VNU Media Measurement & Information (Nielsen)

Join other industry leaders in spearheading the development of a sustainable mobile marketing industry!  Contact mma@mmaglobal.com to learn how your company can become involved!

A list of all current MMA Global member companies can be found HERE.  

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Sponsorships are available for the following MMA events:

• Mobile Marketing Forum EMEA (October 10, 2006, Istanbul, Turkey)
• MMA Annual General Meeting EMEA (October 11, 2006, Istanbul, Turkey)
• Mobile Marketing Forum GLOBAL (November 28, 2006, Los Angeles, CA)
• MMA Annual General Meeting GLOBAL (November 29, 2006, Los Angeles, CA)

For more information, please click HERE.

CALL FOR SPEAKERS
The MMA is seeking speakers for its 2006 events!  For more information, please click HERE.

NEW MMA WEBINAR SERIES
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is launching a monthly webinar series, beginning September 2006.  Each month, the series will highlight a topic that is relevant to mobile marketing.  September’s topic will be:

Mobile Marketing 101
An Introduction to Mobile Marketing
Sponsored by VeriSign, Inc.

Details to follow. 

MMA webinars are free of charge and open to the public.  They provide an excellent educational forum for companies looking to expand their business into mobile or for those already engaged in mobile, to learn from other industry experts.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for upcoming webinars.  For more information, please contact webinar@mmaglobal.com.

MMA EVENTS
MMA MECCA BASH
Presented by AOL LLC
Co-Sponsored by Vidiator Technology (US) Inc. & Telephia, Inc.
Join us for the MMA MECCA Bash, September 11, 2006 at The Hotel Figueroa (Los Angeles)!  For details please click HERE.

MOBILE MARKETING FORUM

Presented by the Mobile Marketing Association
October 10, 2006, Istanbul, Turkey & November 28, 2006, Los Angeles, CA
Join us for these one day conferences covering the latest tips, trends, strategies and case studies for mobile marketing.  Mobile, the hot new channel, always on, always available and everywhere!  Visit www.mobilemarketingforum.com for additional details!  Sponsor opportunities still available. 

Sponsor today!  Current sponsors include:

MOBILE MARKETING ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
October 11, 2006, Istanbul, Turkey & November 29, 2006, Los Angeles, CA
For more information both the EMEA and Global MMA Annual General Meeting, please click HERE.

MMA SPONSORED EVENTS
Mobile Search & Discovery (London), September 6-7, 2006

MECCA (Los Angeles, CA), September 11, 2006

OMMA (New York, NY), September 25-26, 2006

MIXX Conference & Expo (New York, NY), September 25 & 26, 2006

Direct Marketing Association Conference & Exhibition, (San Francisco, CA) October 14-19, 2006

Entertainment & Media Forum (Beverly Hills, CA), October 17-19, 2006

Mobile Broadband Americas (Las Vegas, NV), October 18-20, 2006

ad:tech Shanghai (China), October 18-19, 2006

HELIO: Director Business Dev.-Handset (Los Angeles, CA)

Enpocket: Creative Services Manager (Boston, MA)

Enpocket: Campaign Operations Manager (Boston, MA)

Flytxt Inc.: Engagement Director (New York, NY)

Sensei: Business Development Executive (Boca Raton, Florida)

MobileLime: Product Marketing Associate, Student Intern, Fall ’06- Spring ’07, (Watertown, MA)

MobileLime: Vice President of Marketing, (Watertown, MA)

9 Squared: Product Manager, Mobile Applications and Services (B2C), Denver, Colorado

9 Squared: Product Manager, Mobile Applications and Services, Denver, Colorado

9 Squared: Account Manager, Denver, Colorado