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Mobile marketing to feature prominently at CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008

Mobile marketing will be a key component of the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008 conference next week, acknowledging the growing importance of the discipline to the wireless industry.

With an increased presence by international brands, carriers, research firms and advertising agencies, Marketing -- The Mobile Channel will provide detailed analysis into the future of mobile marketing worldwide. CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008 takes place Sept. 10-12 at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco.

"The focus is still on wireless data, which is a very important and growing segment of wireless industry, with data ARPU rising and many new applications coming down the pipe," said Rob Mesirow, show director of CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment and vice president of CTIA, Washington.

"In the past, enterprise has been the main focus, but entertainment has stepped into the fray and become a big deal, so we're striking a balance between the two," he said.

At the upcoming show, CEOs Lowell McAdam of Verizon Wireless, Robert Dotson of T-Mobile and Dan Hesse of Sprint Nextel will take the keynote stage on Wednesday, Sept. 10 to discuss their plans for opening up their wireless networks, including the development and integration of open devices, operating systems and applications.

"There's been a lot of discussion about open networks, open handsets, open operating systems, and there are many different definitions about what openness really means," Mr. Mesirow said.

"At the top of day one that's how we open, we're leading with open networks and our keynote presentation goes right to the heart of the mobile data question," he said.

In addition to holding the president/CEO's post at Verizon Wireless, Mr. McAdam also serves as CTIA chairman. Mr. Dotson is the incoming CTIA chairman for 2009.

"The market has been flooded with mobile apps that will serve both enterprise and also consumers, and many exhibitors will target both segments now," Mr. Mesirow said. "We've seen the mass-market consumer adoption of mobile data, especially ringtones, videos and wallpapers."

Additional keynote speakers scheduled to present on Sept. 10 include Marco Boerries, executive vice president of Connected Life at Yahoo Inc.; Craig McCaw, chairman of Clearwire; and John Stanton, founder of Trilogy Partnership.

Mr. McCaw and Mr. Stanton will provide an introspective look at the early days of wireless and insights into how the industry is evolving.

As mobile saturation approaches nearly 80 percent in the United States, there is little argument that mobile provides an incredible opportunity for brands to interact with nearly every consumer demographic.

"Mobile marketing is at an interesting point, there's a lot happening around mobile couponing and better backend solutions," Mr. Mesirow said. "There's a huge interest swelling not only among brands but also Madison Avenue that's going to help drive a lot of growth.

"Will this be the year of mobile advertising? Maybe, I can't say definitively yes, although I think we'll make great strides as far as the mass adoption of mobile marketing," he said. "Our crystal balls will be that much sharper by the time we leave San Francisco."

The mobile marketing track is based on four fundamental components driving the segment, including opportunities, impediments, enablers and mobile commerce.

Throughout the CTIA sessions, these components will be examined from the perspective of various stakeholders, including agencies, content providers, brands and wireless providers.

"In the entertainment space uptake has been phenomenal and revenues have been increasing, particularly for carriers," Mr. Mesirow said.

"Everyone's asking themselves, 'How can I continue to monetize this?'" he said."So entertainment is morphing with mobile marketing. Those two verticals are coming together."

Marketing -- The Mobile Channel will feature a wide range of sessions and speakers.

The "Mobile Marketing and Advertising Metrics: Establishing Meaningful Benchmarks and KPIs" session will feature experts from Bango, Kinetic, Nielsen Mobile and M:Metrics discussing how to drive substantial investment in mobile content delivery and how new benchmarks can showcase mobile's capabilities compared to other media.

The "Mobile Marketing Ecosystem: What Carriers Want?" session will feature carrier representatives from Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless discussing what they want out of marketing deals and how to best align with the critical issues raised by consumers, content providers, aggregators and application providers.

The "Mobile Marketing Ecosystem: What Brands and Agencies Want?" session features representatives from Yahoo, Magic Johnson Enterprises and moile marketing agency Ansible examining what they want out of marketing deals and what it will take for mobile to become an integral part of their peers' overall marketing strategies.

In the "Legal Issues -- Keeping the Perfect from Becoming the Enemy of the Good" sessions, attendees will listen to lawyers from AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile discuss how the industry is responding to some of its toughest issues to date.

The "mCommerce: Device, Application, or Technology?" session features notables from Nokia, Moblico, Vivotech and Obopay addressing the opportunity for off-deck growth in the U.S. and the viability of this financial concept to drive consumer action and directly impact sales.

The "Consumers, Mobile Devices and LBS -- Defining the Marketing Zen Moment" session will feature experts from Loopt, Tele Atlas, Millennial Media and LOC-AID Technologies discussing the power of reaching consumers and their devices with location-related content.

"The Common Short Code Potential: Picking Apart the Pieces of the Puzzle" session will feature an array of mobile marketing professionals from HipCricket, Sprint, Nielsen Mobile, OpenMarket and Wireless Media Consulting will gather to examine the value of each piece of the CSC process.

In the "Accelerating Mobile Use: Upsetting the Mobile Paradigm" session, panelists from QuickPlay Media, GroupM, Vibes Media and Thumbplay will set the record straight on misunderstood portions of the mobile paradigm and provide the truth to springboard mobile growth.

There will be a slight shift in focus from the April show in Las Vegas to this show in San Francisco.

"Operators and networks have more of a voice at our large show in April, while this one is more focused on the user experience," Mr. Mesirow said.

"These shows are marketplaces, bringing buyers and sellers together, promoting the advancement of the wireless industry, and it's going to be an amazing event," he said.

CTIA is expecting another big turnout to this week's show in San Francisco.

"Last year was our highest attended event ever, and right now we are tracking even with that," Mr. Mesirow said. "We expect the turnout to be about the same as last year, which is very positive.

"We're really excited to have this event, which is in its eleventh year," he said. "It's a great reflection of the industry, and it's the second largest wireless event of the year, second only to our spring event."