Mumbai, July 23, 2009
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) today named its elected Co-Chairs for the MMA India Local Council. The Council was launched last month to serve the growing needs of the mobile marketing communities in the country. After a month of nominations and votes, Kunal Bajaj, Managing Director, BDA Connect, and Rajiv Hiranandani, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Mobile2Win - Altruist, have been elected to guide and oversee the Indian Council and its industry initiatives.
"The significant advances being made in mobile technology each day together with the ever increasing reach and affordability offered by the medium is encouraging more businesses to have a mobile presence. We expect exciting mobile applications from India in the near future and it is therefore imperative that we create the appropriate measurement and tracking mechanisms to enable the ecosystem to grow. We also need to be mindful of consumer sentiment and ensure that the necessary best practices are implemented, while partnering with carriers, regulatory bodies, brands and agencies to realize the full potential this medium holds. I am honoured to have been elected to lead the implementation of these and other initiatives," said Kunal Bajaj.
"Over 400 million people in India now own mobile phones and this presents an unparalleled consumer base for advertisers to tap into. The Indian mobile marketing industry has seen much development in the past few years. We have seen brands and agencies alike come up the value chain over the past several years, starting from the initial days of SMS lead based campaigns and contests to targeted SMS pushes, WAP sites, branded and ad funded content and mobile advertising. The current size of this industry is approximately US$25 million and we estimate this to grow to over US$62 million within the next 2 years. I am delighted therefore to have the opportunity to help shape and implement the next chapter of this incredible growth story," said Rajiv Hiranandani.
The elected Co-Chairs will also be a part of the MMA Regional Leadership Committee, the collaborating body across the Asia Pacific region. They will work closely with the Regional Board of Directors to determine strategy and priorities.
"The mobile marketing industry in India has matured considerably over the last few years. Over a hundred mobile value-added services and technology companies in India are now working to bring more innovative solutions and keep advertisers abreast of new technologies being launched. As a result, we see that mobile marketing has grown to a US$25 million per annum industry. To further this growth, the MMA India Local Council has brought together the entire mobile ecosystem including carriers, application developers, brands, agencies and other influencers to considerably increase the mobile marketing momentum in India. Under the leadership of the elected Co-Chairs, the India Council will now drive the evolution of the mobile marketing industry in the country," said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association, Asia Pacific.
Today, the MMA India Local Council membership includes representation from 40 leading organisations in the field such as Admob, Bharti Telesoft, Buongiorno, Coca-Cola, Google, Group M, Hungama, Indiagames, Microsoft, mKhoj, Nokia, Reuters, Vodafone, Tata Teleservices, Velti and Yahoo! India among others.
