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MMA rolls out global mobile marketing ROI study

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is setting out to evaluate the return on investment (ROI) that mobile contributes to the marketing mix in a new global study.

The project, the Smart Mobile Cross Marketing Effectiveness study (SMoX.me), will look at the ROI that mobile provides to the marketing mix. It will compare the effectiveness of investing in mobile channels with traditional marketing channels.

The results are expected to also provide insight into channel mix optimisation whilst also assessing the role and relative value of each individual mobile channel, including mobile display, rich media, video, audio, email and SMS.

 Studies have already been planned for the US, the UK and Turkey and the MMA has secured more than $1m to fund the project.

The MMA’s participating partners for the research include Vodafone, Pandora and The Weather Channel. The MMA’s global board of directors include representatives from companies including Colgate-Palmolive and Coca-Cola.

“As we integrate mobile into our marketing mix, it is critical for a brand like Coca-Cola to gain global insights on our ROI across our worldwide spend,” says Coca-Cola group director of global connections Tom Daly. “With its diverse global membership and the unparalleled expertise of its senior management in this particular type of research, the MMA is uniquely positioned to deliver essential quantitative metrics that we can use to guide allocations cross-media.”

The MMA previously spearheaded the Cross Media Optimization Study (XMOS) from 2002, working with brands including McDonalds’, Ford and ING. XMOS aimed to help marketers work out the optimal mix of internet, TV, radio and print advertising based on in-market results.

“I humbly predict that the implications of this research for mobile marketing will again change the way companies spend their marketing dollars,” says MMA Global chief executive Greg Stuart.

David Hing, London