Mobile Marketing Association launches India Local Council

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has launched its India Local Council. The council aims to bring together the entire mobile ecosystem including carriers, application developers, brands, agencies and other influencers in an attempt at driving a range of programmes “aimed at creating a professional and sustainable mobile marketing industry in India.”

The MMA India Local Council membership has representation from 34 organisations such as Admob, BDA Connect, Coca-Cola, Google, GroupM, Hungama, Indiagames, Microsoft, mKhoj, mobile2win, Nokia, Reuters and Vodafone among others.

An official statement from the Council lists out some of the goals that they have set aside for the near future. Increasing the adoption of existing MMA Best Practices and Guidelines and recommending adaptation for local market conditions, escalating the promotion of mobile as an important marketing medium for Indian brand managers and ad agencies and building metrics and creating mobile marketing/advertising tools for the industry are some of the issues that will be on MMA’s agenda in the near future.

“The Indian mobile market is growing at a staggering rate. Over 380 million people in the country now own mobile phones representing a significant opportunity for operators. With mobile penetration and adoption reaching a critical mass, it is only natural that the mobile experience is now about enriching content and media with the convenience of converged services. The India Local Council is poised to lead the implementation of guidelines and best practices and to drive awareness and networking initiatives in one of the world’s most vibrant mobile economies,” said Rohit Dadwal, managing director, MMA Asia Pacific.

He added, “With its remarkable reach and economic viability, the mobile channel has the potential to overtake traditional mass media.  While the mobile marketing industry in India has seen considerable growth in the past few years, the opportunities it presents can only be leveraged to capacity through greater industry collaboration, education and the implementation of relevant guidelines offering industry players a roadmap to success.”

The India Local Council will be headed by two elected co-chairs who will also be a part of the MMA Regional Leadership Committee, the collaborating body across the Asia Pacific region. They will work closely with the Regional Board of Directors to determine strategy and priorities.