Appoints marketing industry expert Terry Murphy

Johannesburg; September 1st 2009 - The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has increased its support for the South African market with the appointment of Terry Murphy as General Manager of the local Council (MMA SA). Murphy brings a breadth of experience to the new role having served as chairman of the Specialist Press Association and President of the Institute of Marketing Management. He will work with the MMA SA co-Chairs, Ahmed Kajee of Cellsmart Technologies and Rick Joubert, head of Vodacom’s Mobile Media division, to execute a raft of new regional priorities and initiatives that will help build and support the South African mobile marketing industry in line with MMA principles of clearing obstacles to market development, establishing guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth and evangelising the mobile channel.

Outlined in a new work plan for 2009-2010, the South African Council initiatives encompass the four areas of: mobile guideline development and validation, mobile marketing measurement and effectiveness, networking and events and education and training.

“The work that the MMA does for the creation of a healthy and sustainable industry globally is vital,” said Terry Murphy, MMA SA General Manager. “It is now our intent to deploy that work at a local level, ensuring that existing MMA Global documentation for example takes specific South African market issues, priorities and services into account. The WASPA Code of Conduct and the ECT Act need to be integrated to create a clear local picture. Operator interoperability and general technology challenges which affect quality of service, the user experience and the manner in which mobile marketing can be implemented should all also be taken into account.”

MMA SA will also support mobile publisher measurement and tracking reports in order to provide the South African marketing industry with actionable and relevant information relating to the profiles, audience size and local spend over time in a range of predefined verticals. Working alongside the various global MMA Committees focusing on measurement, metrics and research, MMA SA will support efforts at both a regional and global level.

“Mobile marketing service offerings in SA are varied in many respects and effective tools for measurability are required to ensure widespread adoption and greater uptake of these services. MMA SA has taken on the role of championing this process for the mobile industry at large,” said Mr. Kajee.

The third focus will be on hosting, participating in, supporting and sponsoring events to provide members with educational and networking opportunities through industry partnerships and affiliations fostered at ad hoc networking events, monthly representations and speaking engagements at industry events, bi-annual industry conferences and annual MMA member events. This goes hand in hand with the work that MMA SA will do to evangelise mobile marketing with all industry stakeholders; reaching out to traditional marketing and advertising students, professionals and consultants as well as those in the digital and mobile marketing fields to position the MMA as a catalyst for the growth of the mobile marketing industry in South Africa, define industry level marketing value propositions and differentiate mobile from other competitive mediums.

“To sustain industry growth it is imperative that education and training initiatives are conducted to increase the mobile marketing skills pool in South Africa and ensure that MMA SA member companies have the resources they need to implement good quality and successful mobile marketing and advertising campaigns,” concluded Mr. Joubert. “It is our belief that by working in this way across the fields of education, networking, measurement and guidelines we can create a vibrant and effective mobile marketing industry for all South African players.”

“The MMA is committed to working with its members in individual regions to create a healthy and thriving mobile marketing ecosystem. Local programmes such as this are essential for establishing guidelines and best practices to help grow the mobile opportunity for everyone involved,” said Mike Wehrs, President and CEO of the Mobile Marketing Association.

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, Latin American (LATAM), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com. For information relating to the MMA’s Mobile Marketing Forum series, please visit www.mobilemarketingforum.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jen Allen or Becca Daniel
Mi liberty Ltd
P: +44 20 7751 4444
E: [email protected]
E: [email protected]

LOCAL CONTACT:
Ivan Booth
Reliable Sources PR
P: 082 851 7419
E: [email protected]