Mobile marketing, Coca-Cola and Microsoft

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is a global organization with a goal that’s easy to describe, but hard to attain: to make sure that mobile becomes indispensable part of marketing in general. One of the methods it uses is Premium Members – companies that are so large they can create their own markets, and achieve scale in any country in the world. Today, the MMA announces that Coca-Cola has signed on to become a Premium Member for two years, and Microsoft has renewed it’s Premium Membership for another two years.

What’s the story?

The Mobile Marketing Association is a trade association of mobile marketing companies. It has around 700 member companies of various sizes – it’s global presence is large enough that last year it split into four distinct business units; one each for Asia Pacific; Europe; Middle East and Africa; and Latin and North America.

It has tasked itself with popularising mobile marketing with advertisers, and standardizing the way it works so that it’s easier for more companies to get involved. The MMA promotes aims for sustainable profits and growth, rather than fast.

The global outlook is one it takes very seriously. Which is basically why this “Premium Member” band exists – when a truly massive company with global reach wants to join the MMA and do serious work in the mobile marketing industry, the MMA takes it very seriously. There are only three members in this band: Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Alcatel-Lucent

How does a Premium Member work?

The relationship works in both directions. The MMA provides all of its members with advice, expertise and information about mobile advertising and marketing methods. Jamie Wells from Microsoft said “over the past year, we have strongly benefited from our partnership with MMA… we will continue collaborating with MMA members and key industry players on bold new mobile platforms such as Windows Phone 7 and the next wave of mobile advertising solutions, including apps, search, rich media and commerce.” But while the Premium Members draw a lot of use from the Association, they are expected to do some work in return.

Interestingly, each Premium Member is given a specific task to concentrate on – usually, it’s a task with a global remit, that only a really huge corporation could handle:

Microsoft Advertising – cross-industry and cross-channel marketing
Alcatel-Lucent – opt-in and preference-driven mobile marketing
Coca-Cola – mobile marketing and education programs (to support MMA roll-out of marketing and education certification programs in 20 countries)