Four Insights from the Mobile Marketing Association Forum Asia 2010 (MMAF)

Last week was a hectic but memorable week for many who had attended the Mobile Marketing Association Forum Asia 2010 (MMAF). It happened in Singapore on the 14^th and 15^th of April, with representatives from different parts of the mobile marketing ecology in one place. There were lots of great panels, as well as plenty of interesting discussions both on stage and at ground level – I wish you could have been there.

Since you weren’t, I thought I’d give you a brief summary of four key things that I discovered at MMAF. These may not be the biggest or most important lessons (because I think everyone took something different away) but here’ are a few things that I thought were notable.

Asia is where it’s at

We had a little spotlight on India, as well as case studies and success stories from Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. The audience was blown away with the interesting and creative campaigns being run in this part of the world, and even more blown away by how successful they are. It is clear that mobile telecommunications is booming in Asia, and that’s fuelling a matching boom in mobile marketing.

Measurement is important

Mobile marketing has reached the point where working out some sort of common metrics is the next step. Measuring performance is important, because it gives brands and agencies a common currency to talk about with publishers and content producers. The GSMA is working on some standardized metrics in the United Kingdom, and other organizations are working on similar efforts.

Technology is mature

The fact that measurement has become a priority tells us one thing – that the technology itself is mature. While previous discussion of marketing in the mobile space revolved around technology, it’s clear that we have passed those hurdles. The technology is there, and now it’s a matter of getting everyone together to the point where we can use it effectively.

The consumer is important

At the end of the day, no matter who we heard from – the operators, the agencies, the brands, the ad networks – it was clear that the consumer was the most important part of the equation, and one part that we need to consider right now. By all accounts, everyone wants the same things: to take advantage of the different strengths of the mobile medium, to deliver relevant messages that consumers will find informative and useful. The best way to get that, is to flip the equation around so that the consumer is the focus, and use the consumer’s needs as the guide to what we can do.

Basically, MMAF is a great barometer, pointing out the state of the industry in Asia as well as charting future directions. The insights that I took away are probably unique to my own position - and no doubt, if you’d been there, you would have taken something different away. Maybe I’ll see you at next year’s MMAF?