Siren Wireless Media Inc.

Juniper Research has released its report, ‘Mobile Advertising Delivery Channels, Business Models & Forecasts 2009-2014 (Second Edition)’. The report predicts that advertising budgets for mobile channels will buck the downward trend and exhibit strong growth over the next five years, reaching $5.7 billion (£3.5 billion) by 2014.

The report finds that constraints on budgets, imposed in the wake of the global economic downturn, have resulted in an increasing migration of ad spend from above the line to below the line channels. It notes also that the need for engagement with the consumer, and a quantifiable ROI, has meant that mobile is increasingly being perceived as a key medium through which to pursue this strategy.

via Mobile Marketing Magazine: Report Puts Mobile Ad Growth in Context.

Mobile Commerce, which provides location-based services (LBS) and mobile content integration, has partnered with O2 to provide location-based search for O2 Money – the new business within O2 which will seek to advance the synergies between mobile and money. Mobile Commerce is providing an SMS ‘Find Nearest’ service, enabling O2 customers to find the nearest place to top up their ‘Load & Go’ card with cash.

Aimed at young people aged 13 and over, the card gives them the freedom and convenience of a Visa card, but within a safe framework. Load & Go is designed to help teenagers to learn about money management, as well as providing a safer way to carry around their pocket money.

via Mobile Marketing Magazine: Mobile Commerce Powers O2 Money’s ‘Find Nearest’ Service.

Berlin – September 7th, 2009 — The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) today released exclusive research, conducted by Lightspeed Research, ahead of its forthcoming Mobile Marketing Forum in Berlin, showing that marketing direct to mobile phones has led to almost €560 million in consumer expenditure in the German market over the last 12 months. With UK spend at nearly €450 million, the two markets combined have seen more than €1,000 million in consumer purchases as a result of mobile marketing in just the last year; demonstrating the considerable impact of the mobile device on brands’ ability to effectively communicate with the consumer and convert leads into sales.

via Mobile Marketing Puts More Than 550 Million Euros Back Into German Economy | Mobile Marketing Association.

Voice and text broadcasting firm RelayStation is offering British MPs a way to slash the significant costs of communicating with their constituents and party members regularly on an opt-in basis. The company is urging them to scap the paper in favour of voice and SMS messaging communications.

RelayStation is also urging political parties to use its voice and text messaging broadcast services for polling purposes, replacing the high cost of pollsters knocking on voters doors or bothering them as they exit the supermarket during election periods to establish voting trends.

via Mobile Marketing Magazine: RelayStation Urges MPs to Turn to Mobile.

With all the iPhone leading the buzz about smartphone growth, it’s disheartening to learn that the Apple phone is the worst smartphone for mobile advertising. That is, at least according to a new report about mobile ad clickthrough rates by online ad network Chitika.

via How to Get iPhone Users to Click Your Mobile Ad? : Mobile Marketing Watch – The Pulse Of The Mobile Marketing Community.

New York, London, UK, Singapore, Sao Paulo and Toronto: September 15, 2009 – The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) today highlighted that the Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, has proclaimed Sept. 12-16 2009 MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK, featuring the first-annual Mobile Media World 09, an MMA-sponsored event for Canada’s mobile industry that brings together mobile and global thought leaders, developers, institutions and industry professionals. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK is officially recognized by the MMA and more than 14 other global mobile and digital media trade organizations, and is supported by more than 50 corporate sponsors, media partners and individual volunteers.

via Mobile Marketing Association Keynotes Today at Mobile Media World 09 | Mobile Marketing Association.

2ergo, which provides mobile-enabling technology, has appointed Mark Gilburt as Head of MNO/MVNOs and Public Sector. The company says the appointment fulfils a crucial component in its global growth strategy, and will enable it to further develop these sectors and expand across key regions.

Gilburt has more than 20 years experience in b2b technology environments, and has held senior positions with Vodafone, O2, and, more recently, THUS, where he was Head of Mobile Business Development.

Meanwhile, WIN plc, which provides interactive mobile information and entertainment services, has announced that Gordan Gajski, former Director of Licensing at Amdocs Interactive, will be joining the company pon 1 October to manage business development in central Europe.

Gajski has more than 18 years’ experience in the music industry, telecommunications, marketing and business sectors. His role at WIN will be to develop relationships and drive business leads in central Europe. He will be based in Vienna and will also work between WIN’s offices in Berlin, Budapest and London.

via Mobile Marketing Magazine: Appointments Update.

“The Telegraph reports that a new wristwatch called num8 has a GPS tracking device and satellite positioning system concealed inside so parents can locate the wearer to within 10 feet with Google maps. The watch sends an alert if it is forcibly removed. The makers of the watch claim it gives peace of mind to parents and makes children more independent. ‘Losing your child, if only for a brief moment, leads to a state of panic and makes parents feel powerless. The overriding aim of num8 is to give children their freedom and parents peace of mind,’ says a company spokesman. Critics of the watch say tagging children is a step too far in paranoia about child safety. ‘Is the world really that unsafe that parents need to track their children electronically? I don’t think so,’ says Dr Michele Elliott, director of children’s charity Kidscape.”

via Slashdot News Story | Children’s Watch Allows Parents To Track Their Kid.

From The 3G Industry Summit In Kunshan, China: 16 Demos From Chinese Mobile Startups.

Earlier this week, I was in Kunshan, China, to attend the 3G Industry Summit [CN], a four-day event that has attracted a few dozen speakers and an audience of over 200 people, making it one of the biggest of its kind in this country. The annual event is organized by the Kunshan government and Mobile 2.0 Forum, a communication platform with more than 1,500 members, almost single-handedly run by industry veteran Leo Wang.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – US soft drink giant PepsiCo has apologized for a free iPhone application crafted to help men seduce women and keep records of conquests but the program remained available on Tuesday.

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Pepsi apologizes for girl-getting iPhone app – Yahoo! Canada News.