Unprecedented guidelines produced by the Mobile Marketing Association and launched at the Mobile Marketing Forum

Sao Paulo, March 26, 2009 – The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) launches the first Brazilian guide to implement and develop mobile marketing campaigns based on SMS (Short Message Service), called Consumer Best Practices (CBP). For the first time, Brazil has a document containing a compilation of practices generally accepted by the mobile marketing market; of rules and policies of mobile telephony operators; and of the agreement between representative members of all the mobile ecosystem on issues regarding regulation of these practices. The CBP may be found at: http://mmaglobal.com/uploads/bestpracticesbrazil.pdf

“This set of consumer best practices was prepared by MMA Best Practices Committee with the purpose of encouraging the development of mobile marketing,” explains Federico Pisani Massamormile, Chairman of MMA Latin America. “Its primary focus is on consumer protection and privacy, since we believe that industry growth without consumer satisfaction is not sustainable.”

“The MMA recommends all companies and professionals involved in mobile marketing actions in Brazil to know, adopt and implement these Best Practices contained in the CBP," says Mike Wehrs, President and CEO of the Mobile Marketing Association, who is in Brazil to participate in the MMF Latin America.

Consumer Best Practices (CBP) are supported by Operators, such as Vivo, TIM, Oi, and Claro. “This Guide is a very important step for the industry, being able to effectively contribute to our practices. The customer wins,” says André Andrade, Marketing Manager, Vivo.

Mobile marketing campaigns and actions always have to consider, at least, the alignment with the principles of the MMA’s Code of Conduct for Mobile Marketing.

In general, the Code of Conduct establishes:

• Consumers have the right to privacy;
• Content providers and companies must obtain the written or electronic consumers’ consent before sending text messages or other commercial content;
• The consumer’s consent only refers to the specific campaign or program that gave rise to the consent message expressing his interest to receive such messages. Therefore, it may not be carried into other programs, services and/or to send promotions and any other information of any kind not related to the main action, unless the consumer has consented to such communications;
• Explanations on how to stop receiving messages has to be published and disclosed on an ongoing basis throughout the promotional actions;
• Attention must be focused on the user’s experience and content relevance;
• Users’ information should be handled responsibly, sensitively, and in compliance with the applicable law, and interactions should be limited to what has been clearly informed to users when giving their consent;

About Mobile Marketing Forum Latin America in Sao Paulo
The Mobile Marketing Forum (MMF) is a series of five events originated by the MMA in Sao Paulo, Singapore, New York, and North America. The MMF brings the entire mobile marketing ecosystem together under one roof - operators, brands, agencies, content providers, entertainment and media companies - to discuss the best practices while driving the momentum for mobile marketing adoption. For more information about the MMF Latin America, in Sao Paulo, visit:
http://www.mobilemarketingforum.com/?q=node/716

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.

Contact:
LATAM –
Julio Gama or Maria Alejandra
Newlink Communications
TEL: (305) 532 7950
[email protected]