Alerts for Special Sales and Discounts Attract the Greatest Interest

Sao Paulo, 17 November, 2008—The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) today released the results of its Annual Global Mobile Attitude and Usage Study, conducted with research partner Synovate. The report spans selected markets in four geographic regions including United States, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, and helps brands and advertisers understand the global habits of mobile users and their overall receptiveness to mobile marketing. The markets surveyed in the Latin America segment of the study include: Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

The study’s key findings for the select Latin America market include:

• Mobile phone usage in the Latin American markets of Mexico, Brazil and Argentina has transcended traditional voice service and is also used for text communication, information gathering and entertainment.
  • Mobile phone usage is noted among two-thirds of consumers in Latin America; additionally, 66% of mobile phone users in these markets feel they are highly important in their daily lives.
  • Non-voice features are the most commonly used; camera and text messaging are the most popular features overall.
  • Features relating to technology are also considered highly important including Bluetooth technology and additional USB/infrared technology.
  • More than three-in-five (62%) text message weekly and one-fifth use mobile web services on a daily/weekly basis.

“Consumers’ heavy reliance on mobile phones in Latin American regions presents a ripe market for mobile marketers.” said Beth Ritchey, Vice President, Synovate Tech and Telecom. “The most successful mobile marketing strategies will provide clear benefits to consumers including discount alerts and alerts related to consumers’ accounts or services.”

“Latin America continues to be a global leader in consumer adoption of mobile services,” said Terence Reis, managing director, LATAM of the MMA. “Nearly two-thirds of mobile users in Latin America are at least moderately interested in mobile marketing and a quarter express strong interest in marketing programs. These statistics are very encouraging as the Mobile Marketing Association continues its initiatives to protect consumer privacy and ensure consistent consumer experience in Latin America.”

The study covers the following markets: Mexico, Argentina and Brazil and represents the first year the study is expanded to include Latin America markets. The study is available immediately, free of charge, to all current MMA Global and Regional members and available at a discount for Local Council members. The market studies will also be available, for sale, after December 1. For more information, visit www.mmaglobal.com

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.