To meet the need of brands and marketers for education and guidance, a requirement that is growing almost as quickly as the opportunities for growth in the German market are multiplying, the MMA Germany has launched with experts and expertise from founding member companies including: adsquare, Coca-Cola, Google, SAP XM, Smaato, Telefónica Deutschland and Unilever.
Timing is everything–and the launch of the MMA Germany, on the heels of dmexco (the leading international trade show and conference for the digital economy that this year attracted a 50,700 visitors to its doors in Cologne) clearly underlines Germany’s leading position and potential as a powerhouse market for mobile marketing and advertising.
Left to right: Ragnar Kruse, Smaato; Daniel Rieber, adsquare; Anna-Katharina Wächter, intern; René Ballack, SAP XM; Peggy Anne Salz, Chief Content Officer; Mark Stohlmann, Telefónica; and Mark Wächter, Mobile Strategy Consultant at MWC.mobi and MMA Germany Chair, met in Düsseldorf to lay the groundwork for a growing MMA Germany that now includes Cocal-Cola, Facebook, Google and Unilever among its members.
It was nearly a decade ago that research firm eMarketer called Germany the “sleeping giant” of mobile marketing. Fast forward, and Germany — today ranked the fifth largest ad spending market in the world, the second largest market in Europe — is clearly waking up to the massive mobile opportunity and exceeding global expectations for growth, investment and innovation.
Indeed, internal numbers from the MMA Germany suggest Germany is poised for impressive growth that far outpaces current analyst forecasts. According to Smaato, a global real-time advertising platform for mobile publishers and app developers, and a founding member of the MMA Germany, mobile ad spending in Germany is showing “accelerated growth compared to its European neighbors.”
In view of this massive growth the MMA Germany is commited to its “mission is to accelerate the transformation and innovation of marketing through mobile,” says Mark Wächter, Mobile Strategy Consultant at MWC.mobi and Chair of the MMA Germany. “As consumer engagement on ‘Smartphones & Co.’ explodes and more brands invest heavily into this channel, the MMA is the right platform for sharing practical know-how and actionable insights to benefit the business ecosystem in Germany and beyond.”
At one level, Germany is poised for massive and consistent growth. At the other end of the spectrum, its membership is excited about the massive impact the MMA Germany can have on the direction of this growth.
Here’s what some MMA Germany members have to say:
Daniel Rieber, VP Marketing at adsquare and Vice-Chair at MMA Germany: “For a fast growing German company like adsquare the MMA is a great opportunity to educate the market, meet potential clients and partners and broaden the global network. Mobile Marketing has evolved into a mainstream channel and the MMA’s mission is to redefine the market’s perception of its benefits and use.”
René Bellack, Chief Expert Business Development at SAP XM and board member of the MMA Germany: “Our ultra-connected society, where smartphones are connecting the different worlds of e-commerce and the bricks-and-mortar business at the Point-of-Sales, requires a new thinking in marketing and media planning. The ecosystem is increasing in complexity and the role of Germany is increasing in importance. The MMA Germany is needed to establish a joint industry approach, leverage the opportunities of mobile and drive transformation in digital marketing — together.”
Ragnar Kruse, Co-Founder and CEO of Smaato and board member of the MMA Germany: “Our membership of MMA Germany helps Smaato to play a leadership role in the mobile ecosystem and collaborate with highly influential digital marketing thought leaders around the world.”
Simon Dean, Head of Media Services at Telefónica Deutschland and board member of the MMA Germany: “The vision of Telefonica Media Services is to develop mobile advertising in Germany to a yet unreached level of relevance and efficiency for all market partners and consumers. We see our founding membership at MMA Germany as an integral part of bringing this vision closer to reality. Germany needs the MMA to fast-track the development of the mobile advertising landscape because one of the many strengths of MMA is to especially integrate brands into this process.”
To facilitate greater understanding and education around how brands and marketers can successfully use mobile to connect, engage and sell to consumers, the MMA Germany has organized a program of thought leadership events and seminars kicking off on October 27 in Berlin .
Registration for Mobile Marketing: Redefined!, the first in a series of seminars taking a deep-dive into the ‘Mobile Shift’ in consumer behavior, brand management, creative execution and media planning, is now open. Attendance will be limited to 100 so register here today to reserve your place.
The MMA Germany has also released a companion presentation on Slideshare providing insights into mobile ad spend and consumer behavior in Germany as part of a wider effort to curate key data points and foster broader discussion around the massive mobile marketing opportunities Germany offers.
Reach out if you want to help in our efforts to accelerate the transformation and innovation of marketing through mobile, driving business growth with closer and stronger consumer engagement. Email us at info AT mmagermany DOT org, and be sure to follow us on Twitter @mmagermanyorg.
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