Mobile operators partner with IAB to develop UK mobile marketing industry

Five of Britain’s biggest mobile phone companies have joined forces to solicit the help of the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) to promote the benefits of mobile advertising to marketers.

T-Mobile, Orange, O2, Vodafone and 3 have formed the Mobile Steering Group to oversee and advise the IAB, which will become the official trade body for mobile advertising.

An IAB mobile manager will be appointed in October and over the next 12 months a series of initiatives will take place to develop the mobile advertising market and promote increased revenues.

The IAB will set up a PricewaterhouseCoopers ad spend study aimed at determining how much the mobile advertising industry is worth and will work on mobile advertising standards with the Mobile Marketing Association.

“With the new resources we’re going to get from the mobile operators, we can really put a rocket under [mobile advertising],” the IAB’s chief executive Guy Phillipson told Brand Republic.

A recent survey from Nielson Mobile revealed that 34 per cent of mobile owners would be in favour of mobile advertising if it reduced the cost of their bill.