5th Finger shows full hand in U.S.

By Mickey Alam Khan

January 29, 2008

Warren Billington, cofounder and vice president of sales-mobile marketing at 5th Finger

A year after entering the United States, mobile service provider 5th Finger has formally launched in this market, targeting advertising agencies seeking mobile campaign help.

The Australia-born company has already worked on projects such as the Live Earth Concert Series in conjunction with VeriSign, as well as with clients such as movie studio New Line Cinema and online retailer Amazon. Now it wants to promote its expertise and air-cast platform further afield.

“A lot of companies have marketing or technical expertise, but it’s the combination of those two that makes the real difference,” said Steen Andersson, San Francisco-based cofounder and vice president of marketing at 5th Finger.

The air-cast platform lets marketers and agencies create and manage their own mobile marketing campaigns and services. The platform supports Web interactive, SMS, IVR calling and television. A real-time reporting function is designed to let marketers adjust their campaigns while they are running.

5th Finger recently inked a partnership deal with TVi Media, a media sales firm which focuses on direct response television, interactive and mobile advertising representation for brands across various broadcast networks.

Steen Andersson, cofounder and vice president of marketing at 5th Finger

The company works with advertising agencies representing clients in sectors such as fast-moving consumer goods, beverages, financial services, retail, entertainment, pharmaceutical and media. International clients include Nestle, Nike, MSN, Virgin Mobile and Foster’s Group.

“We see ourselves as a key platform and service provider to agencies,” said Warren Billington, New York-based cofounder and vice president of sales-mobile marketing at 5th Finger.

5th Finger was founded in Sydney, Australia. The Australian part of the business was sold in 2005 to ninemsn, following which the founders launched in the U.S. market in 2007. MSN continues to be involved strategically in the U.S. arm, which is headquartered in San Francisco with a New York office supporting.

While the mobile channel is far more advanced in overseas markets, the U.S. is still in the educational phase. 5th Finger’s Mr. Andersson is aware of that as he makes the round of agency offices.

“There’s a huge need in terms of where the [U.S.] market’s going to go and in terms of the market’s potential versus Australia and Europe,” he said.