Mobile networks join forces for advertising push

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Coming soon to a mobile near you….adverts – and lots of them.

Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange, O2 and 3 confirmed in a joint statement that they plan to appoint the Internet Advertising Bureau to help push mobile advertising as a marketing medium.

With mobile data speeds steadily improving and the ability to surf graphic rich web pages on phones now commonplace, the mobile operators now see the humble mobile or smartphone as prime advertising real estate that has so far gone largely untapped.

Some mobile operators are battling falling voice call revenue as users increasingly turn to email and text messaging, both yielding lower profit margins, and see advertising as a powerful revenue stream as it allows brands to target consumers based on their location and at times of the day when they are otherwise hard to reach.

The IAB said a survey towards the end of 2007 with 40 senior-level marketers found that mobile advertising was viewed in much the same way as online advertising was in 2000 - lacking standards, measurement systems and case studies to support the medium.

"These are exciting times for the industry -- consumers are becoming more acquainted with mobile as a marketing medium and increasingly accepting of relevant, targeted advertising on their handsets," said Shan Henderson, head of mobile advertising and industry development, at Vodafone.

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