Pepperjam, M3 Mobile form agency joint venture

By Mickey Alam Khan

August 4, 2008

Gary Ackerman is CEO of M3 Mobile

Mobile marketing agency M3 Mobile and Internet and affiliate marketing shop Pepperjam have partnered on a joint venture that offers expertise from both companies.

Named pepperjamMobile Powered by M3 Mobile, the alliance will provide Internet and mobile marketing services to advertisers. Pepperjam's boss spotted a couple of opportunities that led him down this path.

"One is the need to integrate the two fastest-growing interactive channels -- Internet marketing and mobile marketing -- with a one-stop-shop," said Gary Ackerman, CEO of M3 Mobile.

"[Also], we now have a platform that gives merchants the ability to use a single platform to launch pay-per-performance opportunities," he said.

Both companies have previously partnered before.

The joint venture will offer a range of services, Mr. Ackerman said.

First, affiliates will have the ability to offer mobile lead capture.

Second, merchants will have the ability to drive revenue and shift customer behavior through ecommerce or bricks-and-mortar sales.

Next, affiliates will be able to earn commissions for offline-to-mobile and mobile-to-offline sales.

Finally, pepperjamMobile will offer creative services.

Pepperjam has initially invested in the joint venture. M3 Mobile will build and manage the service.

Both agencies are currently developing proprietary technology that will combine their marketing tools on a single platform.

Mr. Ackerman said the two companies will staff up pepperjamMobile when business builds.

"We think there's really an untapped opportunity," he said.