Membership Grows by More Than 40% in 2008

New York; London, UK; Singapore and Sao Paulo, 15 December 2008 — The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) today announced that 2008 has been its most successful year yet; noting the completion of its global expansion with the addition of a Latin American branch and Local Councils in each region, as well as a massive growth in membership numbers to more than 700 at the year’s close. In addition, the MMA has created new educational tools for the numerous industry and leadership events that it has hosted throughout the year. These efforts are reflected in an overall increase in mobile marketing receptiveness and adoption amongst consumers worldwide, as demonstrated by the recent MMA Attitude and Usage Study released in November.

Significant 2008 milestones have included:

• Publication of an array of industry research, educational tools and guidelines; with participation and collaboration from MMA member companies, the MMA Committees have worked on leading educational and guideline initiatives to help drive the adoption of mobile marketing globally. These materials can be downloaded from the MMA website and include: In conjunction with research partner Synovate, the MMA has also produced its Annual Global Attitude & Usage survey; a global study of consumer attitudes towards the mobile channel, aimed to assess their interest in and receptiveness to mobile marketing. Available to members, the study covers select markets in four of the MMA’s five branches: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
  • Global Mobile Measurement Ad Currency Definitions
  • Global Mobile Advertising Guidelines - revised
  • Mobile Advertising Overview White Paper - revised
  • Global Code of Conduct
  • Consumer Best Practices (US) - revised
  • Introduction to Mobile Search White Paper
  • Mobile Applications White Paper
  • European Bluetooth Marketing Guidelines (opened for public review)
  • The International Journal of Mobile Marketing – June & December revisions

In conjunction with research partner Synovate, the MMA has also produced its Annual Global Attitude & Usage survey; a global study of consumer attitudes towards the mobile channel, aimed to assess their interest in and receptiveness to mobile marketing. Available to members, the study covers select markets in four of the MMA’s five branches: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

• Organisation of a series of global events and awards; the MMA’s Mobile Marketing Forums (MMF) were held five times in 2008; twice in North America, once in Europe and twice in Latin America. The events attracted a combined audience of more than 1400 delegates and speakers worldwide. For the first time since the inception of the global awards ceremony, the MMA recognized industry innovators and leaders from every geographic region, with a record number of submissions that spanned 12 different categories.
• Creation of a new and updated www.mmaglobal.com website; to provide better access to resources available to MMA members, an updated website was launched in November. The updated features include support for regionalized content, enhanced navigation, unique research from industry leaders, a new networking platform for members, knowledge sharing via member submitted content, member discounts and offers, as well as improved visibility for member companies.
• Completion of a global MMA network; the addition of a Latin American (LATAM) branch in March to the existing North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa branches has further extended the MMA’s global reach. The 2008 launch of local councils in the UK, India, South Africa and Ireland has also strengthened MMA initiatives and enabled better adaptation to individual market conditions.
• New York Headquarters; previously based in Denver, Colorado, the MMA is relocating its global headquarters to New York City.
• Key appointments; to reflect and support the growth of the MMA infrastructure, several key appointments have been made, including Peter Johnson, VP of Research & Strategy and Kristine van Dillen, Director Industry Initiatives & Partnerships in the New York office, as well as previously released hires of regional MDs for Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
• Membership growth of over 40 percent; the mounting recognition of the mobile channel as an effective marketing medium, together with greater regional and local relevance of the industry association as a result of the creation of the MEA and LATAM branch and local councils, has led member numbers to increase by more than 200 in 12 months. Newest members include:
  
  • Arena Mobile India Pvt. Ltd.
  • Blyk
  • Brandsh Media cc
  • Brasil Telecom S.A.
  • Capital Supreme(Pty) Ltd T/A Multimedia Solutions
  • Celerity Systems (Pty) Ltd
  • Cellsmart Technologies
  • Clearhub
  • Clickatell
  • ComCom AS
  • ConVisual
  • Far Eastone Communications
  • Habari Group Media Direct
  • Hewlett-Packard Company
  • Massive Impact
  • Mkhoj Solutions Pvt Ltd
  • Mobiclicks
  • Mobile Interactive Group
  • Mobile Market Servicos Ltda.
  • MobiMark
  • Mojiva, Inc
  • MS&L
  • MyClick Media Ltd.
  • Netway India Pvt. Ltd. – (Astroyogi.com)
  • One Brasil Media Interativa S/A
  • One Digital Media
  • OPENET
  • PhindMe
  • Phonecast Solutions
  • Proxama Ltd
  • Pudding Media Inc.
  • Que Pasa Communications Ltd
  • Rapid Mobile Media Ltd.
  • Reporo
  • RingRing Media
  • SilverstoneCIS
  • SMSCountry Networks PVT. LTD.
  • Snac, Inc.
  • SupportComm S.A.
  • Tata Teleservices Limited
  • TelePages, Inc.
  • TelePromos S.A.
  • T-Mobile International
  • We Love Mobile Ltd.
  • West Corporation
  • Western Illinois University
  • YOC Limted
  • Zannel, Inc.

“2008 has really been one of the most productive years yet for the industry, the MMA and our members. We’ve experienced tremendous forward momentum in mobile marketing education and guidelines, and further extended our global reach, creating greater opportunities to leverage knowledge and experience across our member base. The MMA membership has been at the forefront of driving innovation, fostering positive change, and supporting a healthy mobile ecosystem,” said Laura Marriott, MMA President. “As I prepare to leave the MMA in 2009, I’m confident that by continuing to collaborate and innovate as an industry, across geographies, companies and trade organizations, it is realistic to expect mobile to represent a significant portion of media budgets within the next five years.”

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:

EMEA & Global
Jen Allen, Becca Daniel or Louise Amon
Mi liberty Ltd
Tel: +44 207 751 4444
Email: [email protected]

NA & APAC
Valerie Christopherson or Kirsten Woodard
GRC for MMA
Tel: (949) 608-0276
Email: [email protected]

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