Redefining mobile and celebrating India’s best in mobile marketing at the MMA India Forum and SMARTIES 2017

Industry leaders to gather to accelerate the next phase of mobile and celebrate India’s top mobile marketing talents

Chennai: The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) India Forum returns on 27 October 2017 at The Leela. The sixth edition of the forum will see brands, agencies and publishers gather to share experiences and successes in mobile marketing, and exchange ideas on how mobile can be integrated into campaigns. In the evening, India’s best in mobile marketing will be recognised and celebrated at the SMARTIES India Awards. The SMARTIES is the only global mobile marketing awards programme that honours innovation, creativity and success in mobile marketing.

Increased mobile video capabilities are set to be a game changer, with the mobile video market expected to reach over $13 billion by 2020. At the same time, the explosion in consumer data is driving machine learning and artificial intelligence, enabling marketers to better target consumers. Marketers are also calling for more accurate measurement and attribution standards. These are just a few of the mobile marketing trends the industry is witnessing this year.

This year’s MMA Forum India will focus on how mobile is redefining the way we engage the world and the radical changes in how companies interact with consumers. Speakers at the Forum include the following:

· Sapna Chadha, Head of Marketing, Google India and Southeast Asia
· Sam Singh, Director of Agency Business, Google India
· D Shivakumar, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd. and Chairman MMA India
· Prasun Basu, President, South Asia, Nielsen
· Maneesha Khanna, Director – Global Media & Content COE, PepsiCo
· Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific Limited
· Vasuta Agarwal, Vice President & General Manager, India, InMobi
· Sanchita Johri, Group Digital Marketing Lead India and Digital Head of FemCare APAC, Johnson & Johnson (Consumer, India)
· Matthew Talbot, CEO, BBM
· Mallikarjun Das, Group CEO, Starcom
· CVL Srinivas, CEO, South Asia, GroupM
· Avinash Kumar Jha, CGM and Marketing Head, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd
· Hemant Mehta, Managing Director, Media, Digital & Retail, Kantar IMRB, and Chief Strategy Officer, Kantar South Asia
· Rohit Sharma, CEO and CO-Founder, POKKT
· Johnny Li, Vice President, Global Sales & Business Development, Cheetah Mobile

The Forum will take place against the backdrop of a rapidly growing mobile marketing industry in India, with the country boasting over 1 billion mobile subscribers and 79% of web traffic originating from mobile compared to 50% globally. These rapid changes in media consumption have led to a period of transition, and what comes next is unprecedented – a new mobile age built upon three key pillars that the Forum will cover:

· Emerging formats in mobile: The craze over the free-to-play, augmented reality mobile game Pokémon Go in 2016 is one to be remembered. We’ve seen an increase in the use of VR/AR and other emerging formats, which extend the brand experience beyond the mobile screen and change the way we tell and consume stories.

· Effective Measurement: Measuring the effectiveness of mobile marketing has always been an iffy exercise, making it challenging for marketers to justify mobile spend. New technological developments have rendered it easier to harness consumer data, thereby ushering in smarter measurements and metrics.

· Advanced Data Analytics: As technology advances, data collection – and the customer engagement tactics that data makes possible – will become even more nuanced, enabling marketers to run more successful retargeting campaigns and creating more value for them by improving their data.

Should you wish to list the event, details of the Forum are as follows:

Forum Date: 27 October 2017, Friday

Time: 9.45am – 5.30pm

Location: The Leela, Ambience Island, National Highway 8, Gurugram 122 002

Ongoing updates on the Forum may be found at: http://www.mmaglobal.com/forumindia2017.

In the evening, the 2017 SMARTIES India will take place to honour excellent work on mobile by brands and agencies, while recognising the ever-increasing prominence of mobile in India and the creative operational technologies powering the medium. Shortlisted brands and agencies across 18 categories will vie for the SMARTIES Awards, with well-known brands such as Colgate, PepsiCo, Nike, and Cadbury being a few of the contenders.

Should you wish to list the event, details of the 2017 SMARTIES India are as follows:

Forum Date: 27 October 2017, Friday

Time: 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Location: The Leela, Ambience Island, National Highway 8, Gurugram 122 002

Full list of SMARTIES entries may be found at: http://www.mmaglobal.com/india/smarties2017.

Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, MMA Asia Pacific said, “The mobile industry is taking flight in India, and it now more important than ever for brands and marketers to optimise mobile resources and technology so as to stay relevant to consumers. In light of this, the MMA Forum India 2017 serves as a platform for brands, agencies and publishers to share expertise, knowledge and insights on mobile marketing, to collectively accelerate the industry’s growth. I’m also thrilled to see so many innovative campaigns for this year’s SMARTIES India Awards, harnessing mobile in bold, unique and effective ways to better connect with their target audiences.”

The MMA Forum India 2017 is supported by Principal Partner Google, Gold Partner AdColony, InMobi, Saavn and UCWeb, Silver Partner Cheetah Mobile, Cocktail Partner TUNE, Partner Diageo India, Support Partner POKKT, Public Relations Partner Candour Communications and Social Media Partner Autumn Worldwide.

· Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Today, with more than 60,000 employees in 50 different countries, Google makes hundreds of products used by billions of people across the globe, from YouTube and Android to, of course, Google Search. A lot has changed since the first Google search engine appeared. But some things haven’t changed: our dedication to our users and our belief in the possibilities of the Internet itself. The relentless search for better answers continues to be at the core of everything we do. www.google.com

· AdColony is a leading mobile advertising platform dedicated to delivering the highest quality brand experiences across today’s primetime apps and sites. Our proprietary Instant-Play™ HD video technology and innovative ad formats elevate the mobile ad experience, making us a leader in mobile marketing and monetization. Trusted by Fortune 500 brands and 85% of the top grossing mobile publishers, AdColony provides a superior way to reach mobile audiences at scale and drive meaningful outcomes for advertisers and publishers. www.adcolony.com

· InMobi enables the world’s leading brands, developers, and publishers to engage global consumers through mobile advertising. InMobi platforms leverage advances in big data, user behavior, and cloud-based architectures to simplify mobile advertising for its customers. Recognized by MIT Technology Review as one of the 50 Disruptive Companies of 2013, InMobi is the world’s largest independent mobile ad network, engaging 872 million active uniques in over 200 countries. Learn more at www.inmobi.com

· Founded in 2007, Saavn is India’s leading digital music streaming service, transforming how people around the world access and experience music on a daily basis. Saavn is currently accessed in 200 countries and offers 36 Million tracks in 15 languages. The company has 900+ label partnerships and growing. Saavn’s investors include Tiger Global Management, Liberty Media, Bertelsmann, Steadview Capital, Ward Ferry Management, Tree Line Investment Management, Quilvest, Mousse Partners, Wellington Capital Management, and a number of strategic individuals, including former Vodafone CEO, Arun Sarin, and, Guy Oseary, Chairman of Maverick. With its headquarters in New York, Saavn has also runs offices in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bangalore and California. For more information, visit www.saavn.com/corporate

· UCWeb Inc. (UCWeb), a business within Alibaba Mobile Business Group, is a leading provider of mobile internet software and services. Since the inception in 2004, UCWeb’s mission has been to provide better mobile internet experience to people around the world. The international product portfolio of UCWeb includes UC Browser (mobile browsing service), UC News (content distributor), 9Apps (Android app store), and UC Union (mobile traffic and monetization platform). UC Browser is one of the world’s top 3 mobile browsers (as per StatCounter). UC Browser has reached 420 million Monthly Active Users as of August 2016, while 9Apps has clocked over 250 million. Additional information about UCWeb and its products can be found at www.ucweb.com.

· Cheetah Mobile is an award-winning mobile internet company. It aims to provide leading apps for mobile users worldwide and connect users with personalized content on the mobile platform. Trusted by major brands in India, Cheetah Ads’ AppLock commercial product can help advertisers reach 200 million impressions a day. www.cmcm.com

· TUNE is on a mission to make mobile marketing better for everyone. As the most adopted measurement and attribution provider, TUNE is trusted by Expedia, Sephora, Starbucks, Amazon, and many other world-class brands. TUNE builds solutions that arm marketers and their partners with insights to help effectively engage consumers with timely, personalized marketing messages. www.tune.com

· Diageo is present in India through its subsidiary United Spirits Limited, India’s leading beverage alcohol company, with an outstanding portfolio of premium brands. In 2013-14, Diageo plc acquired a 54.8% shareholding in United Spirits making India one of its largest markets. Founded in 1826, it is the largest Indian spirits company involved in the manufacture, sale and distribution of beverage alcohol, producing and selling around 120 mn cases of Scotch whisky, IMFL whisky, brandy, rum, vodka, gin and wine. Its portfolio of over 140 brands includes the much-loved McDowell’s No.1, Royal Challenge, Signature, and Antiquity as well as Diageo’s iconic brands such as Johnnie Walker, VAT 69, Black & White, Smirnoff and Ciroc among others. The company has 18 brands that sell more than a million cases each year, of which 4 brands each sell more than 10 million cases annually, generating total revenues of Rs.8353 in FY2015. The organization prides itself on innovative products that have made a mark on the world stage by regularly winning local and international accolades and awards.

Headquartered in Bengaluru, the company has a strong global footprint supported by a committed team of 5500+ employees dedicated to fulfilling the company’s mission of becoming the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer goods company in India. Diageo sincerely believes in being a good corporate citizen and is committed to creating a positive role for alcohol in society through its national Road to Safety programmes. Diageo also improves the lives of people in the communities around its plants with particular emphasis on Empowering Women. Its flagship programme, Project S-H-E delivers much-needed initiatives in water, health and education to lead the industry in demonstrating the highest standards of corporate citizenship. The company is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE: 532432) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE: MCDOWELL-N). Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Celebrating Life, Every Day, Everywhere. diageoindia.com

· POKKT is India and South East Asia’s largest mobile and in-app video advertising platform with one of the largest gaming inventory facilitating the monetization of mobile applications by integrating ad videos into gaming apps, allowing major brand advertisers to engage with their target audiences both globally and locally. POKKT has its offices in seven countries – India, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and USA, working with Fortune 500 brands globally. It has partnerships with many game developers, including an exclusive partnership in the region with Electronic Arts and Nazara to name a few. POKKT has built a proprietary technology platform with a robust backend, easy-to- integrate SDKS, Data and analytics tools and a lot of proprietary tools for Advertisers and Publishers. It promotes sustainable game development for mobile platforms by providing programming support and advertiser access to developers. It is a member of several Private Marketplaces (PMPs) of the leading Agency Trading Desks, and leading Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) and Exchanges in India and South East Asia.

· Candour Communications is a full services public relations consultancy headquartered in Delhi with operations in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, with affiliated relationships in all major cities across the country. Candour’s core expertise lies in the areas of public relations consultancy, communication strategy & planning, media relations, content creation & management, influencer management, crisis management & social media. Our key practice areas are Technology (from software platforms to AI), Healthcare, Education, etc. Candour’s counsel is based on a constant finger on the pulse of the brand’s target audience and attention to ongoing audits, research and reviews. www.candour.co.in

· Autumn Worldwide is a new age brand consulting and creative services firm offering solutions in Social Media and Digital Marketing. Brand consultants at heart, with a zeal for new age communication, Autumn has its strength in insights, messaging and technology that not only bridges the gap between traditional and digital media but more importantly between ideas and technology.