Mobixell Mobile Advertising Panel - SFR, O2, Telefonica, IBM, OMA

Last week I was invited to Rome to the most fabulous hotel in Frascati by Rome to moderate a panel at the Mobixell Symposium. The two day conference was a way for the company to show case its offerings with case studies from clients and potential clients.

Basically, this was like a mobile operator event where I have never mingled with that many operators from Turkcell, Vodafone UK, Italy and Germany, Orange, O2, Telefonica, Telecom Italia etc. So here is a write up of the panel which (everyone congratulated me on!).  

The aim of the panel: To bring out achievements on mobile advertising and assess positive or negative attitudes.
Who was on the panel:
Moderated: Bena Roberts GoMo News
Mauro Di Pasquale, SFR
Edward Hugh Patterson,  IBM
David Puron, Telefonica and OMA (sitting on the panel with OMA hat on).
Nilan Girn, Telefonica
Mo Hamza, Informa

The Panel:
I introduced myself as a writer of a daily industry blog focusing on mobile advertising, mobile search and mobile barcodes and then thanked Mobixell for inviting me. Following that I asked each of the people on the panel to introduce themselves.

Question 1:  What is the main driver of mobile advertising?

Mauro: I feel the need to repeat part of the session that I gave today already. I believe that the main driver of mobile advertising is cross media integration. The ability to invest in all forms of media and drive new levels of excitement cross segments and industry services. Mobile advertising becomes a platform that every medium can invest it and one that effects all levels. For example the OMA is involved in mobile advertising as are operators, vendors and media brands.

David: When we think about drivers of mobile advertising we look at an eco-system. What are the blocks that cover the eco-system. We need to join these blocks so that everyone involved and bring targeting, advertisers to the centre. The main driver is to have some a central body collecting metrics to give confidence to advertisers moving forward. We must define personalisation methods and operators and device manufactures need to use these metrics moving forward.

Bena: That is interesting and not what I expected! So you are both saying that collaboration and metrics will drive mobile advertising in the future. Thank-you.  (Looking over at) Nilan – what is your take on the main driver of mobile advertising?

Nilam: There is not one main driver of mobile advertising. Handsets and usage are part of the pie. I liked the “show me the money” retail case study and that is also important.

Bena: Ed?

Ed: I agree but the operators need to have a place in the value chain. The driver of mobile advertising is helping the operator deliver and become or compete on an agency level.

Bena: OK. What about you Mo? Coming from the reporter/ analyst angle like myself do you agree?

Mo: Regulatory pressures and marginal pressures to achieve revenue and profit margins are an impact. But I do agree with Mauro and David that moving forward data mining and metrics will be essential to build momentum.  You need to make mobile advertising a serious point or player linking it to core applications and that will drive it.

Question 2: Any Success stories relating to mobile advertising outside of SMS Advertising?

Bena: OK. So, when everyone talks data they talk of the SMS success. In the early stage of advertising everyone is also talking about mobile SMS advertising as vital – are there any other success stories out there? David, would you like to start us off?

David: I am sure there are but we all have to start somewhere. SMS is a great way to introduce new services and mobile advertising concepts as we explore browsing and future services.
Mauro: I will not speak about SMS. But I will speak about messaging. When advertisers need attention the best way to start is the push mobile advertising via messaging. Same with content providers who need attention or want to interact with the TV or TV streaming moving forward. Messaging is vital for this. Voice is still king of the mobile but messaging is also vital and lets walk before we can run.

For me messaging and MMS image messaging where you insert advertising is a great first next stop.

Bena: Mauro, interesting, thank-you.  Changing the topic very slightly what about Mobile TV advertising – Ed and Mohammed?

Ed: WAP, Mobile tV and interstitials are vital. Mobixell is doing this already and we add value to this by enhancing the advertising experience regardless of the channel.

Bena: Oh, isn’t IBM a competitor to Mobixell?

Ed: No. We are complimentary. We work together to provide the best services for mobile operators. We provide tools and consulting.

Bena: OK. Mohammed.

Mo: What stood out for me today is that getting it right is vital. We have superior communication in place and adding part b or advertising to the equation needs to be done well. Again, going back to standards we need standards in place to improve the types of mobile advertising served. You don’t get a second chance so whatever the platform IPTV or messaging – it needs to be done well.

Question 3: How exciting or challenging is multimedia in mobile advertising? 

Bena: So I had a great educational day today and I found the case study from Telecom Italia particular brilliant but also on the border line of who owns the mobile Internet. So, with that presentation in mind – lets think multimedia and whether or not multimedia is exciting or challenging for mobile advertising.

David: One of the main needs of mobile advertising is the agreement between the actors and the agency. We need to offer actors and brands a harmonised view of the mobile advertising industry. They don’t care if it is Vodafone or Telefonica – they care that it is mobile. Once we offer a harmonised view of mobile advertising and the standards are in place to achieve this – the future will be set.

David and Mauro start a discussion about this and the main points from both of them are:

We need a whole mobile advertising industry – there needs to be one market not several fragmented markets.

Just targeting or personalisation or push campaigns are not enough.

We must measure the market. Not segments of the market – 40 year olds – 24 to 35 year olds but the whole audience.

Behavioural targeting and addressing the market is essential moving forward.  All data must be available in a one stop shop place.

Bena: Wow, what a great debate. Thanks. Nilam anything to add?

Nilam: Yes. We think that personalisation is vital for the consumer and vital for the mobile advertising experience. But also, something happened in February this year in the UK with the GSMA. Mobile operators started on the road to provide common metrics and measurements. We realised that proof was needed at the concept stage and we are pooling data to give media planners and investors the metrics that they need from all mobile operators to succeed.

Bena: Yes. I remember that and writing about it on GoMo News after Mobile World Congress. So in short so far – customisation is key and relevance is vital and targeting with metrics is the key.

(Bena looks at Mo). What is the analyst angle?

Mo: If you speak to the operator, metrics are a key part of the advertising strategy. But consumer insight and feedback is vital. The success to any advertising strategy is a mixture of both. Stop the fighting, work together and more success will be achieved.

Ed: Yes. But operators have the know how for the stats and that is vital.

Bena: Its seems we are back on the metrics discussion again?

David: Mobile advertising cost and drivers are vital. Actions speak louder than words and metrics are the key to mobile advertising.

Mauro:  We are talking about metrics over and over. But that is because we must provide good metrics in a simple way. Step by step and basic covering targeting and optimisation. These metrics must also be justified.

Bena: Great – any questions?

Anat from Comverse: Do you use a vendor for the mobile ad solution or for the ad sales and inventory?

Nilam – Telefonica has selected Amobee global for the whole world as a vendor.

Mauro: At SFR we have a local strategy, our solution, internal advertising agency. We are not looking for advertising agencies. This vision for SFR might change in the future – but not now.

Bena: Super. We are already out of time so a last question with a 30 second answer for everyone.

Question 3: What is your mobile advertising success story?

David: The OMA is always packed and the meetings inspirational – I think that we will move forward with some very successful developments.

Mauro: The success story is the real time service advertising. Real time is new and it serves the basic need and movement for mobile advertising.

Bena: Mauro I am upset you didn’t mention search – that case study from before really got me excited ! But anyway – moving on…

Nilam: SMS was huge and mobile advertising will be huge.

Ed: These are really exciting times. Mobile 2.0 for operators moving forward..

Mo: Advertising provides a good way for me to address the balance between what operators give away and what consumers want as freebies. Mobile advertising is the key as is trackable lead generation. Operators are ultimately the biggest advertisers at the moment and its using that inventory is what is going to create, break or make waves.

Bena: Mo. What excellent last words. Thank-you.

So, once again  thank-you for inviting me. Please give a hand to the panellists!

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