MSearchGroove and Convergence World publish path-breaking industry primer; Names Paul Palmieri, President and CEO of Millennial Media, to advisory board

London, UK – October 21, 2009 – MSearchGroove, the source of analysis and commentary on mobile advertising, mobile search and social media, today announced the launch of MobileAd World Focus, a global roundup of the trends, technologies and campaigns impacting the emerging mobile advertising business ecosystem at all levels created in partnership with Convergence World.

Endorsed by leading global mobile organisations including the Association for Interactive Media & Entertainment (AIME), the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), the Mobile Data Association (MDA) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), this publication will educate the marketplace, highlight growth opportunities and expertly document the best practices that make business sense.

Drawing from in-depth primary research and exclusive C-Level interviews, MobileAd World Focus will showcase the strategies and business models publishers, content owners and brands should harness to define and deploy effective mobile advertising campaigns. Another chief focus will be the models content companies can use to monetize their digital assets and drive positive results.

Chapters will cover a wide range of topics, including:

•   The pivotal importance of engagement and social media marketing
•   The tools/technologies available (SMS, MMS, idle screen, mobile coupons, 2D barcodes, sponsored mobile search, location-awareness and multi-modal interfaces) and the business objectives they can achieve.
•   The role of mobile analytics to measure success, or failure
•   The new opportunities around app stores and branded content storefronts

MobileAd World Focus will be distributed as an eBook on MSearchGroove and Convergence World to their database of executives and influencers, as well as across their combined global network of media partners as a free download, guaranteeing high levels of global circulation.

Lead by Peggy Salz, mobile thought leader and MSearchGroove Founder and Chief Analyst, Mobile Ad World Focus will further benefit from the insights and experience of a dedicated advisory board made of select industry executives and influencer.

Paul Palmieri, President and CEO of Millennial Media, the largest and fastest growing mobile advertising networks company in the U.S, and first member of the MobileAd World Focus advisory board commenting on his appointment said: “Mobile advertising is poised to take off in the next few years as the industry continues to mature and the customer adoption of smart phones increases. I am therefore extremely excited to join the advisory board for the MobileAd World Focus, a report that will have a major impact on the way the industry views mobile advertising and provide real insight into the results of mobile campaigns.”

MobileAd World Focus will provide companies an ideal platform to communicate their products/services and value propositions via sponsored columns, thought leadership contributions and company profiles. It will also be fully interactive, containing live links to videos, podcasts, and interviews, as well as company websites, RSS feeds and blogs.

Quotes from leading global mobile organisations:

"There is wide consensus that mobile advertising is on the verge of major growth and that ad spend on mobile is where online spending was in the 1990s. However, there is also widespread debate around the value of mobile advertising and whether its selling point is its usefulness as a direct response tool, its importance as a means to engage with consumers on their terms, or its ability, through location awareness, to deliver the right ad in the right context. The Mobile Ad World Focus is a publication that comes to market at the right time to provider companies and brands a means to navigate this tough and confusing terrain, and we are proud to support it."

Edward Boddington, Chairman, AIME

"The Mobile Data Association supports the generation of all intelligence, quantitative data and research designed to help propel the growth and profitability of the mobile medium. MSearchGroove's MobileAd World Focus research will deliver an insightful, data-driven analytical assessment of the space to aid an informed approach for those involved in mobile advertising.  With this market segment on the cusp of significant growth, we are pleased to endorse MSearchGroove's MobileAd World Focus research.”

Martin Ballard, Operations Director, MDA

"The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) anticipates, defines and addresses issues and opportunities for the mobile media industry, by identifying sustainable business solutions and promoting best practice to drive adoption of the mobile platform and ensure a positive consumer experience. The MobileAd World Focus compliments our work on Ad-Funded Mobile Entertainment (AFME) and its objective for providing insight into new business models for the delivery of mobile content and advertising and is one we wholeheartedly support."

Rimma Perelmuter, Executive Director, MEF

"The MMA sees the continued education of the mobile advertising ecosystem as one of the fundamental keys to its success and increasingly rapid growth. The MobileAd World Focus publication represents an essential read for the companies across the emerging business ecosystem and should be mandatory reading for any business that benefits from advertising. This report demonstrates our combined commitment to ensuring the success of mobile marketing and the pivotal role of the mobile medium as an effective and useful tool to connect with consumers."

Mike Wehrs, President & Chief Executive Officer, MMA