The Mobile Marketing Association has launched an India Local Council to stimulate the growth of mobile marketing and allied technologies in the country.

The council will bring together the entire mobile ecosystem including carriers, application developers, brands, agencies and other influencers to drive a range of programs aimed at creating a professional and sustainable mobile marketing industry in India.

"Asia-Pacific remains one of the strongest regions for mobile marketing, with mobile penetration being higher than any other region globally," said Rohit Dadwal, managing director of MMA Asia-Pacific.

"Our mission at the MMA is to build a sustainable ecosystem for the mobile marketing industry in the region and to be the leading association for region-wide consultation on key industry issues such as measurement and metrics, mobile advertising guidelines, codes of conduct and consumer best practices," he said.

The MMA India Local Council membership includes representation from 34 leading organizations in the field such as AdMob, BDA Connect, Coca-Cola, Google, GroupM, Hungama, Indiagames, Microsoft, mKhoj, mobile2win, Nokia, Reuters, Vodafone, Tata Teleservices, Velti and Yahoo India.

Some of the immediate priorities for the council are:

? Increasing the adoption of existing MMA best practices and guidelines and recommending adaptation for local market conditions where appropriate

? Escalating the evangelism and promotion of mobile as an important marketing medium for Indian brand managers and advertising agencies

? Educating and networking with telcos, brands, agencies, press and members

? Building metrics and creating mobile marketing/advertising tools for the industry

"Through the India Local Council initiative we aim to considerably increase the mobile marketing momentum in India," Mr. Dadwal said.

"In the coming months the council will be implementing a range of education and networking programs that will help the tremendous mobile opportunity in the country reach its full potential," he said.

The India Local Council will be headed by two elected co-chairs who will also be a part of the MMA Regional Leadership Committee, which is the collaborating body across the Asia-Pacific region.

The co-chairs will work closely with the regional board of directors to determine strategy and priorities.

Why India?
More than 380 million people in India now own mobile phones. With wireless carriers planning to tap the unexploited rural markets, the number of mobile subscribers in India is expected to touch 500 million by 2012.

The global spend on marketing and advertising amounts to $500 billion, of which less than 1 per cent is spent on mobile marketing and advertising.

The Indian mobile market is growing at a staggering rate. Going forward, if India accounts for just 2 percent to 3 percent of this $500 billion spend, it can translate into business worth $10 billion to $15 billion and a share of that will be spent on mobile.

"There are some fundamental challenges that hinder mass usage of content on mobile phones," Mr. Dadwal said. "These include lack of knowledge among users, mobile browser constraints leading to poor content quality/experience and the data charges associated with the use of Internet over the phone.

"Innovations that will solve these challenges will unlock the true potential of the mobile mass media," he said.