Dear Readers,  

Welcome to the January 2008 edition of the Mobile Marketing Association’s (MMA) Mobile Marketing Messenger.

Is 2008 the year for mobile marketing?  It is certainly the question that we are asked most often by the media.  And if member growth, campaign increases and new brand entrants are any indication, we are in for our best year yet! The MMA alone has grown to over 600 member companies world-wide and now with regional chapters in NA, APAC and EMEA, and a forthcoming launch in LATAM, we are prepared to help drive the growth of a sustainable mobile marketing industry world-wide.

As many of you know, we are also in the midst of Board elections for the North America and Asia Pacific chapters.  There is a strong field of candidates who have put their names forward and we encourage you to vote.  EMEA and LATAM elections will both follow in March.  Each member company may vote in the elections once.

Want to join a dynamic team in a hot new market?  The MMA is hiring both senior and entry level positions in all geographies.  If you are interested in joining a dynamic, entrepreneurial team and taking a key role in shaping the future of the mobile marketing industry, please contact our HR team at jobs@mmaglobal.com. For all senior level opportunities, please contact Laura Marriott, President, laura.marriott@mmaglobal.com.

The MMA continues to build out our event series in 2008 – and will offer the following events in the early 2008 calendar:

• Mobile Marketing Forum LATAM, São Paulo, March 26
• MMA LATAM Chapter Launch, São Paulo, March 27
• Mobile Marketing Forum EMEA, London, April 16 & 17
• Mobile Marketing Forum NA East, New York, June 10 & 11

The Mobile Marketing Forum series in NA, EMEA and LATAM are now produced in partnership with Informa Telecoms & Media.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Regards,

Mobile Marketing Association

Mobile Marketing Association Addresses Consumer Best Practices at Annual Industry Forum

Mobile Marketing Association survey findings: Western European consumers poised for growth in mobile marketing

Mobile Marketing Association's International Journal of Mobile Marketing NOW AVAILABLE

MMA Member Directory
Long awaited, the MMA Member Directory contains profiles on each of the MMA member companies and will prove to be a valuable resource for those interested in mobile marketing.  The Directory is available on the MMA public website for free download.
http://mmaglobal.com/memberdirectory.pdf

Recent Committee Releases
It is through the MMA’s committees, special interest and task force groups that best practices and guidelines for mobile marketing are developed and released industry-wide.  New releases for the month are as follows:

• 2007 Mobile Attitude & Usage Studies
  The MMA announced the results of its Mobile Attitude and Usage Study for selected markets in three regions (Asia Pacific, US and Western Europe). The study identifies key trends, mobile subscribers’ usage patterns, and success metrics for mobile marketing as well as provides actionable insights into consumers’ mobile usage by demographic group. MMA Members may download the studies at no charge from the MMA members only home page: www.mmaglobal.com.
  
• Mobile Advertising Guidelines (North America)
  The North America Mobile Advertising Committee released revised guidelines in late December adopting ad sizes and aspect of ratios from the EMEA Mobile Advertising Guidelines. This release brings us one step closer to global Mobile Advertising Guidelines. Click here to download the guidelines.
  
• Academic Outreach
  The MMA (AOC Committee) recently posted its January 2008 Industry Review which can be located here.
  
  The MMA is accepting orders for the December 2007 issue of the International Journal of Mobile Marketing (IJMM). Order forms can be located on the MMA website. Click here to upload.

Upcoming Committee Releases

• Education and Research
  • Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization
  • International Journal of Mobile Marketing: December 2007
  • Measurement White Paper
  • Mobile Marketing Tool Kit

New Committees
The following committees have been formed and launched within the past 90 days:

• Education (North America)
• Mobile Banking (Sub-Committee of m-Commerce)
• Mobile Communities & User Generated Content
• Proximity
• Women in Wireless (EMEA)
• Mobile Video & Television (sub-committee of Mobile Advertising)

To view a complete list of all the MMA committees and their descriptions, please click here, or if you’re interested in joining, send an email to committees@mmaglobal.com.  

For more information on all committee initiatives or to participate in any of these groups, please contact committees@mmaglobal.com.

MOBILE MARKETING FORUM
March 26, São Paulo
April 16 - 17, London
June 10 - 11, New York
October 7 - 8, Europe (City TBD)
November 12 - 13, San Diego
APAC - Info Coming Soon! 

Speaker Submissions:
With a proven track record of enticing its audience with pertinent industry topics and knowledgeable speakers, the MMA brings together leaders and learners in forums specifically designed to provide insight into the ever-developing arena of mobile marketing. To nominate a speaker you feel would contribute to MMA events, please click here to complete the Speaker Submission Form. You can suggest speakers and topics. We thank you for your contribution!

Sponsorship:
Throughout the year, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) participates in numerous standalone and co-sponsored events, made possible by company sponsorships.

Event sponsors gain premium exposure with industry leaders and participants, while increasing their visibility within the mobile marketing community.  Sponsorship is a guaranteed tool to ensuring your organization gets targeted exposure and participant attention. For information on sponsoring an event, click here.

The Conference on Marketing (Naples, FL) February 4 - 6, 2008

I-COM (Barcelona, Spain) February 5 - 8, 2008

Mobile World Congress (Barcelona, Spain) February 11 - 14, 2008

Search Engine Strategies (London) February 19 - 21, 2008

SMX West (Santa Clara) February 26 – 28, 2008

Youth Marketing Mega Event (Newport Beach, CA) March 2 - 5, 2008

Search Engine Strategies (New York) March 27 - 20, 2008

The MMA is in the midst of Board elections for North America and Asia Pacific.  Joining the Board of Directors is a great opportunity to contribute to the leadership and growth of the MMA, and we will be electing new Boards in all regions for 2008.

North America (NA) & Asia-Pacific (APAC) Board of Directors Election Schedule
The election schedule for NA and APAC is as follows:

• Call for Candidates: NA & APAC, January 7 – 18  (NOW CLOSED)
• Election Period Open (Ballots sent to key point of contact for each member company in good standing, in each region), January 28 – February 8
• Board of Directors Elected, On or Before February 13
• Executive Committee Elections & Chairperson Appointment: NA & APAC, Late February
• 2008 Board of Directors meetings
  NA – March 12, Chicago
  APAC – early March, Singapore or Hong Kong

Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Board of Directors Election Schedule
The EMEA elections will follow the NA and APAC elections appointment and a call for candidates will be issued in early March 2008. 

LATAM Chapter Launch
The Latin America MMA Chapter launch is scheduled for Thursday, March 27 at the Sofitel in São Paulo, Brazil.  Details will be sent to all LATAM member companies shortly.

The MMA will also host a Mobile Marketing Forum on March 26 in São Paulo.  The event will feature speakers from around the world.  For details, please visit www.mobilemarketingforum.com

Local Councils
Local initiatives are key to the ongoing growth and development of the MMA – and we have long encouraged local members to collaborate to build the momentum in their market.  Although we no longer establish formalized local chapters, we do encourage the formation of local special interest groups (‘Councils’) which have the same role as chapters without the governance structure (i.e. there is no Board of Directors).  The Councils are set up similar to our current committee structure and would require leadership in the form of co-chairs.  The Council would receive full support from the MMA, in terms of staff to aid in leadership, administration and coordination, and would be eligible to apply to the Regional and/or Global Board of Directors for funding.  The funding may be used to support local events and initiatives in the local market.  Participation in the Council would be open to all companies who are members, in good standing, of the Mobile Marketing Association.  The co-chairs would be determined and selected through the participants/members in the local market.  If you are interested in launching a local council and have at least 10 MMA member companies interested, please contact Laura Marriott at laura.marriott@mmaglobal.com or Stacey Sayer, stacey.sayer@mmaglobal.com

Jamster- Multiple Opportunities 
Proteus- Director, Business Development Media Services 
Jamba- Product Manager Mobile Internet 
NBC Universal- Mobile Product Manager 
Sensei - Director, Digital Marketing 
HipCricket, Inc. - Account Manager, Brands 
HipCricket, Inc. - Senior Account Director- Brand 
HipCricket, Inc.-  Senior Account Director 
NOKIA - Director, Regional Content Aggregation (Europe) 
NOKIA - Strategy & Operations Leader 
NOKIA - Product Marketing (Mobile Games) 
NOKIA - Web Analytics 
NOKIA - Business Development Senior Manager 
Mobile Marketing Association - Product Marketing Manager 
Proteus - Director, Business Development Media Services 
OpenMarket - Product Manager 
OpenMarket - Carrier Relations Manager

Purchase the MMA International Journal of Mobile Marketing today!
COMING SOON!  Volume 2, Number 2 of the MMA-IJMM.  The MMA-IJMM is issued by the MMA Academic Outreach Committee and contains research and contributions for academics, industry experts and thought leaders.

Order your copy by clicking HERE.