MMA stresses need for responsible mobile marketing in Asia Pacific

In drafting the guidelines, the APAC Mobile Advertising Committee (established by the MMA earlier this year) hopes to educate brands and marketers in the region as to the potential of the medium, build consistency, and steer mobile marketing towards a positive consumer experience, avoiding at all costs bombardment of the public with unwanted messages.
"It's very important to follow these guidelines," said Ogilvy's Ken Mandel, MMA APAC vice-chairman. "There's a great opportunity in mobile marketing, but if you target people in the wrong way, there will be a backlash."
The guidelines offer detailed information on style, format and use of mobile web banner ads. Among the factors explained are the different technical requirements for ad creation depending on display capabilities, and advertising units such as banner dimensions and aspect ratios.
Mandel described the mobile network as a "complex ecosystem", whose channels are owned by operators, in contrast to the Internet. He noted that the Internet itself is still in its infancy, and stressed that the MMA's best practice guidelines would help avoid the confusion and missed opportunities witnessed in the early days of online advertising.
He stressed that marketers should not view the mobile medium as an isolated channel, nor as merely a sub-section of digital, noting that due to the personal nature of mobile phones, mobile marketing can act as a highly effective amplifier of more traditional advertising such as print.