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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.

MobileAd World Focus logo

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

For media enquiries, please contact:
Stuart Willett, MSearchGroove, Director, Media Solutions
Email: sw@4oaksmedia.com
Mobile:  +44 7734 315 506

About MSearchGroove
At the intersection of content and context

Peggy Anne Salz is the Chief Analyst and Founder of MSearchGroove, an online network specializing in analysis and commentary on mobile search, mobile advertising, and social media. Her drive to spark debate about issues impacting the industry at all levels has won her international recognition as a brave new voice in the mobile content market. Her report, "Mobile Search & Content Discovery," was regarded as the first in-depth study of its kind, establishing Peggy as an authority on mobile search and content discovery technologies, enabling media companies and mobile operators to monetize content and services. Her most recent series of practical how-to white papers covers the basics of mobile advertising and mobile analytics, earning her a reputation as a leading mobile advertising expert. She has established a successful writing and consulting career based on vision, insight, versatility, and more than 15 years of industry experience. For more information, please visit www.msearchgroove.com.

About Convergence World

Convergence World has expertly documented news and developments in the telecommunications and IT industries since 2004. After building a loyal following in the global operator community, its broke new ground in 2007 when it launched a fully-interactive online magazine.  Today their readership relies upon its commentary to keep informed on the latest happenings in the telecommunications and IT industries. For more information, please visit www.mcubedigital.com .

About AIME

AIME is a U.K.- based membership organization representing and promoting the commercial interests of the interactive media and entertainment industry – where customers use their phones, televisions or computers to access, interact and pay for information, marketing or entertainment services using leading edge micropayment technology. For more information, please visit www.aimelink.org.

About the MDA

The Mobile Data Association (MDA) is the not-for-profit industry association dedicated to represent and promote all mobile data centric businesses. Our members include: mobile network operators, mobile content aggregators, mobile phone manufacturers, mobile / mobility application developers, mobile content and information developers, mobile marketing and mobile entertainment providers. For more information, please visit www.themda.org.

About the MEF

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) was formed in 2000 to represent companies throughout the entire mobile entertainment value chain. As the global trade association of the mobile media industry, MEF works on behalf of its diverse membership to drive mobile entertainment adoption, shape regulation and deliver competitive advantage to its members. With global headquarters in London, a Hollywood-based Americas secretariat, an Asian chapter in Hong Kong and the newly expanded EMEA branch, MEF’s network of members represents a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of mobile entertainment businesses and entrepreneurs. For more information and a full list of members please visit: www.m-e-f.org.

About the MMA

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade association, established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the use of the mobile channel. The more than 700 member companies, representing over forty countries around the globe, include all members of the mobile media ecosystem. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the U.S. and it has regional chapters including North America (NA), Europe (EUR), Latin America (LATAM), Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com.

About Millennial Media, Inc.

Millennial Media, the largest and fastest growing mobile advertising networks company in the U.S., offers the only true, end-to-end platform for mobile advertising – with full-service and self-service solutions designed to meet a vast spectrum of marketing objectives. With rich post-click solutions for engaging user experiences, the MBrand™ network for targeted audiences across premium content, and Decktrade™ for large-scale performance campaigns, Millennial Media´s suite of solutions will meet any advertising need. The company is committed to growing the mobile advertising marketplace by becoming the preferred partner to all advertisers seeking to reach mobile consumers, all publishers seeking to maximize ad revenue, and all mobile operators seeking to further monetize their networks. For more information, please visit http://www.millennialmedia.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/millennialmedia.