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Mobile Marketing Association restructures, names new leader

The Mobile Marketing Association moved quickly to restructure itself one month after CEO Mike Wehrs resigned without warning, delegating more control to its operating regions and naming a managing director for North America.

The shakeup will result in each one of the four MMA regions ? North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa ? gaining individual profit and loss responsibility. Global presence, regional relevance: that is the new mantra of the newly named MMA North America managing director Michael Becker, a 13-year mobile veteran and cofounder of iLoop Mobile who will soon commence a listening tour.

?It?s not a matter of where I want to take the MMA,? Mr. Becker said from his San Mateo, CA, base. ?It?s where the members want to take it. I?ve been on the other side, and now I?m on this side.?

Seconded from iLoop Mobile where he is vice president of strategy, the 40-year-old Mr. Becker will report directly to Federico Pisani Massmormile, chairman and interim CEO of the MMA. He gives up his position as global vice-chairman of the MMA board.

Rohit Dadwal, MMA Asia-Pacific managing director and Paul Berney, his EMEA counterpart, also report to Mr. Pisani.

Mobilevangelist
Based in New York, the MMA has 725 members spanning brands, agencies, publishers, wireless carriers and mobile marketing service providers spanning the globe. The four regions supply 80 global board members to help evangelize mobile marketing and promote best practice.

Meanwhile, the MMA will continue to work with Diversified Search Ray & Berndtson to hire a permanent CEO for the organization.

The association is also close to making a decision to relieve Mr. Pisani of his other temporary responsibility ? managing director of MMA Latin America ? with the naming of a new executive.

While the mobile marketing industry has grown by leaps and bounds since 2007, the MMA has had to suffer swings in attendance at its Mobile Marketing Forums largely due to the economic downturn.

Under Laura Marriott, president through Dec. 31, 2008, the association added members and chapters worldwide. Ms. Marriott led a highly peripatetic life, something which Mr. Becker is used to as part of his mobile evangelist role for iLoop Mobile.

Previous CEO Mr. Wehrs had a tough act to follow in Ms. Marriott, who largely shepherded the MMA from a small association to become the leading lobby for mobile marketing.

In his new role, Mr. Becker hopes that MMA members appreciate and understand the rich possibility of mobile.

?It?s an incredible standalone medium for effective consumer engagement,? he said. ?In addition to that, it adds an overlay to traditional media channels.?

In the following Q&A, Mr. Becker talks about the changes at the MMA, his vision for the association and the trajectory he sees for mobile marketing.

What is it about this job that attracted you?
I?ve been actively involved in the MMA for more than five years, most recently serving as global and North American vice chairperson.

I passionately support the MMA and its mission, as does iLoop Mobile, so this was an easy decision to make both personally and for iLoop Mobile.

The MMA continues to gain global momentum in building a sustainable industry for all involved and I am honored to have the opportunity to serve.

The title of managing director for North America is newly created. What does it signify?
The MMA has had the role of MD in APAC, EMEA and LATAM for some time now, and we felt it to be important to have a focused effort on North America as well.

It signifies the maturing of the organization in a manner that remains globally focused with regional and localized efforts.

Your appointment comes with big changes for the MMA, right?
Yes, the MMA is restructuring in a fashion that allows for each region to operate as a standalone business unit within a global organizational framework.

Each region will now have its own P&L responsibility, which allows for a more dedicated effort on our members localized needs.

In other words, we have built an organization that has global presence, but focuses on local relevance.

You are known for evangelizing mobile and even as an academic. This role must be a perfect fit.
I believe it is.

I am bringing to this role years of effort into the field of mobile marketing, both as an industry practitioner and executive of a leading mobile marketing solutions provider, as well as a student and academic of mobile marketing.

Taking on this role is a natural evolution of my career path as I believe in the power of mobile marketing and what it brings to consumers and brands worldwide.

Will you retain your ties with iLoop Mobile?
ILoop Mobile remains a member of the MMA and has allocated my time to support the MMA.

So what is your vision for the MMA?
The MMA facilitates the engagement, participation and collaboration of every participant of the mobile marketing ecosystem.

I envision the MMA to continue this mission and provide a fertile environment where we all can embrace the possibilities of mobile marketing and the personal, rich, interactive, value exchange that it enables.

The MMA seems to be stuck in a rut. At least that?s the impression.
The MMA has been growing and has accomplished a lot over the last few years, including the development of a global organization that has been supporting and tracking the global growth of mobile marketing.

It is now time to reap the benefits of these efforts and leverage the MMA?s global presence so that it can leverage the learning from around the world to optimize the relevance of mobile marketing locally in each region and for each brand and individual consumer engagement.

I?m extremely honored to be joining the MMA team, which comprises extremely passionate, dedicated, geographically dispersed individuals who are totally focused on member value and the efficient growth of the mobile marketing industry.

What will you do to engage the members?
With the MMA?s reinvigorated focus on local markets and regions, MMA members will see enhanced programming, education, research and advocacy that is targeted to support and meet their local needs, while leveraging the global framework of the MMA to ensure they are able to draw upon the best practices and business models of the global mobile marketing industry.

Every member is invited to engage with their local managing directors and actively contribute to the growth and viability of the use of the mobile medium for value-generating consumer and marketer engagements.

What is the state of mobile marketing?
The possibilities of mobile marketing are just now being understood.

For instance, we recently witnessed the power of mobile marketing with the unfortunate Haiti disaster in that over $30 million was raised for Haiti relief efforts in less than a week. But this is just one example.

Thousands of companies and consumers alike are benefiting from mutual value exchange over mobile every day.

It is self-evident that the mobile channel is the most ubiquitous and personal medium to be found anywhere throughout the world, with over 60 percent of the global population already having a mobile phone. More are sure to follow.

With all the value that has been generated with mobile marketing, we are just getting started. I?m very excited about the prospects and future of this industry.

Your goal for the MMA? Any theme for your tenure?
Global presence, regional relevance. This is the theme we are embracing, one that is in line with the capability of the MMA.

Mobile marketing enables the ability for a marketer and a consumer to engage on a one-to-one personal level. I?m dedicated to making this engagement as efficient and lucrative for every party, consumers and marketers alike.