Coleman is now charged with harnessing data and analytics to drive the organization’s marketing efforts and to elevate its brand messaging across the industry.

According to a media release emailed to MMW, Coleman will ensure that IAB members and the entire industry get timely, actionable information that helps individual businesses thrive and that promotes the growth of the broader digital ecosystem.

He will tap into his extensive background in mobile messaging, social media engagement, branded content creation and distribution, digital video production, and influencer marketing to develop successful data-driven marketing strategies on behalf of the trade group and its membership. He joins IAB from Gannett, where he led digital product marketing and client solutions for Gannett Digital and USA TODAY.

“Craig will leverage his extensive experience and skill set to drive deeper engagement with IAB members and widen our reach to the industry at large,” said David Doty, Executive Vice President and CMO, IAB. “He is a proven communications leader, who has delivered quantifiable results for digital publishers. Moreover, he has a strong background in what’s required in successful marketing today, ranging from customer acquisition to branded content, social media, and making the most of mobile.”

The post IAB Taps Craig Coleman Vice President of Marketing appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

In his new role, Saggese will expand Swrve’s influence in overseas markets, particularly in rising countries.

As an established leader in mobile marketing engagement, the company is confident that Saggese will extend both Swrve’s international customer base and its strategic partnerships as part of this new phase of growth.

“Mobile has become the default focal point for the modern-day consumer, and critical component of a well-connected marketing strategy,” said Christopher Dean, CEO of Swrve. “In EMEA and APAC, the proliferation of smartphones means that businesses can engage with customers in dynamic, contextual ways at a global scale. Alf’s experience working in these markets, coupled with his expertise in understanding consumer behavior, makes him a major asset as we extend the capabilities of the Swrve Platform to broader international audiences.”

Saggese is regarded as a pioneer in the computer telephony Integration, customer engagement and eCommerce spaces.

The post Mobile Marketing Leader Taps Veteran to Lead Expansion in EMEA and APAC Markets appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The agenda for the two-day event, May 9-10, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square in New York City, is developed by marketers for marketers. Among the MMA’s most popular annual events, the forum features a global who’s who of industry leaders and collaborative exploration of mobile’s most critical issues. From the revolutionary impact of mobile on the buying journey and consumer life cycle to its influence beyond the marketing mix, the expert-led sessions will leave attendees actionable insights on how mobile video, native, location, programmatic, apps, messaging and more can drive their own mobile success stories.

“Mobile is the most personal of all platforms, with the ability to drive brand engagement and loyalty like no other. It opens an exciting world of opportunity, and this event brings some of the world’s most innovative brands together in deep discussion about how to seize it,” stated Sheryl Daija, Chief Strategy Officer, MMA. “We’re confident all of our attendees will benefit from the conversation and feel they’re leaving with the knowledge they need to connect with their customers in meaningful ways to reach their business objectives.”

Confirmed speakers for the event include:

• Samsung: Jay Altschuler, VP, Media & Partnerships
• The Coca-Cola Company: Corinne Baker, Marketing Manager, Digital Platforms and Innovation
• AllState: John Baronello, Director, Marketing Analytics
• Twitter: Leslie Berland, Chief Marketing Officer
• VaynerMedia: Chris Bradley, VP and Group Creative Director
• Philips: Emilie Hardick, Global Mobile Lead
• Grubhub: Tammi Harrison, Vice President of Customer Experience Marketing
• Rosetta Stone: TJ Hunter, Sr. Director, Consumer Marketing
• RetailMeNot, Inc.: Marissa Tarleton, Chief Marketing Officer
• Budweiser: Monica Rustgi, Senior Brand Director
• Hallmark: Lindsey Roy, Vice-President Greetings Marketing
• Philips Zurich North America: Monu Kalsi, Vice President, Head of Digital Marketing
• Supercell: Ryan Wener, Head of Marketing

MMA members and non-members are welcome to register for the Mobile Marketing Leadership Forum at http://www.mmaglobal.com/mobile-marketing-leadership-forum-2017/register (special rates available for members). Those unable to attend are invited to follow @mmaglobal and join the conversation on Twitter.

The post MMA Announces Mobile Marketing Leadership Forum Speakers appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Mobile Innovation Set to Shine in Shanghai
Consumers attending the GSMA Mobile World Congress Shanghai will have the opportunity to experience the hottest mobile trends, all in one place. That’s according to the GSMA, which is holding Mobile World Congress

Kahuna’s New Mobile Marketing Index Shows that Smart Messaging Triples App Retention
Kahuna’s 2016 Q1 Mobile Marketing Index report, the details of which were shared with MMW on Tuesday, proves brands can increase 90-day retention rates by 3X with smart messaging.

Pollfish Helps Marketers Reel in Better Consumer Intelligence with Mobile In-App Surveys
Pollfish — the world’s largest mobile survey network — is aiming to transform consumer intelligence through mobile in-app surveys.

Good Vibes: Syniverse to Invest $45 Million in Mobile Marketing Firm
Syniverse, a top provider of mobility solutions, announced this week a major partnership that includes a $45 million investment for a minority stake in mobile marketing technology provider Vibes.

Retail TouchPoints Touts 2016 Social Media Maven Award Winners
Retail TouchPoints (RTP) has just announced the 2016 Social Media Maven Award winners.

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The following is a guest contributed post first published by MAW from Marco Veremis, the CEO of Upstream.

Earlier this month, Google upgraded its Chrome for Android data saver mode, which removes images when loading over a slow connection and helps users save up to 70 percent of mobile data when browsing the web. The connection also runs much faster and smoother than it has in the past, when it only saved users 50 percent of mobile data.

This feature will initially be available in India and Indonesia before it rolls out to other countries as part of Google’s effort to conserve data for mobile users in emerging markets. Areas that face persistent mobile connectivity issues, like India and other growth regions such as Brazil and Africa, stand to benefit from the upgraded data saver mode should it be expanded into additional markets.

The Impact of the Upgrade

Emerging markets have become more and more essential to the tech industry because they contain large, untapped audiences with a keen interest in relevant, localized mobile content. Many big name companies like Facebook, Netflix and Apple have begun making offerings in the emerging markets. In 2015, Facebook’s Internet.org or Free Basics by Facebook tool provided limited Internet access minus cost but fell under criticism when users realized the service did not offer anything beyond Facebook’s scope. Facebook fell short in assuming that cost was the only block between emerging markets and Internet access. As a general trend, consumers in emerging markets don’t mind paying for access as long as they are given payment options and pricing models suited to their needs. For example, payment models like tiered pricing have proven very effective in emerging markets. Following its launch, Apple Music adjusted its prices in global growth regions like India, Thailand and Hong Kong, so consumers paid as little as two dollars per month for the music streaming service. Apple’s acknowledgment of price differentiation and its adjustment helped the company find success with consumers in these global growth areas.

Google correctly identified Internet connectivity as a fundamental issue for emerging market consumers, which is why the Chrome for Android upgrade surpassed the offerings of companies like Facebook. By eliminating the process of image loading, the upgrade will improve Internet connection and maintain the overall integrity and quality of mobile content. Google’s understanding of access limitations in emerging markets enabled the company to develop a superior connectivity solution for emerging markets.

Where the Upgrade Can Improve

Mobile and HTML5 handset users in India and Indonesia who have struggled with mobile Internet connection will benefit from Google’s upgrade. Yet according to the GSMA, just 12 percent of India’s mobile users use mobile broadband devices. The number of consumers within the greater Indian and Indonesian population who stand to benefit or be affected by Google’s upgrade account for a small fraction of the country’s overall mobile users.

Although Google worked to provide a solution to the mobile Internet connectivity issues faced by emerging markets, it would have benefited from taking a more localized approach. Google would see a broader impact from its efforts if it had provided individualized solutions for each subset of mobile devices, and not just smartphones. If Google considered specific market needs and different technologies in its examination of Internet connectivity, and implemented a more device diagnostic approach, the company would be better equipped to address the regional connectivity issues faced by consumers in emerging markets.

It’s crucial for Google, and other companies with their sights set on connectivity solutions in high growth markets like India, Indonesia and Brazil, to make more of an effort to localize solutions for each region. Developing or modifying services for emerging market consumers based on handset and connectivity needs would allow tech brands to provide authentic value for current users and engage nearly 3 billion potential consumers.

The post OPINION: The Effect of Google Chrome’s Upgrade on Emerging Markets appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Say What? Yes, It’s True: Many Marketing, IT Execs Don’t Have Mobile-First Strategy
Marketers aren’t clueless — they get the mobile thing with its proliferation of smartphones and more and more time spent on mobile devices.

Buy Buttons on Social Networks? Facebook Users Give It a Thumbs Down
Of all the social media platforms out there, Facebook ranks first in this: a lack of interest in site buy buttons.

Innovation Poised to Dominate CES 2016
Our sister site mGamingWatch is gearing up to cover next month’s presentation of CES 2016 in Las Vegas. And although countless major announces and interesting revelations await, some aspects of the show aren’t difficult to predict.

Purify Ad Blocker Engineers Say Mobile Users Pay Billions for Ad Downloads While Browsing
Not only do engineers at Purify Ad Blocker believe that their popular ad blocking app saves users more than 50 percent on data costs by blocking advertisements, they came to some “startling conclusions.”

PayPal Goes Pigskin: Global Payments Company Will Run First-Ever Super Bowl Ad
This is some new turf for PayPal. The company just announced it will run its first ever ad during a Super Bowl on Sunday, February 7 during the first quarter.

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The post Here’s What Happened in Mobile Marketing This Week appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Attention Marketers: Millennials Going Mobile for Christmas Shopping
The findings of a new survey shared with us recently by Dynatrace and Harris Poll reveal a powerful penchant for mobile shopping this holiday season.

Axway Outlines Ten Predictions for the Digital Economy in 2016
This week, the team at Axway , a respected global software company, unveiled their top 10 IT predictions for 2016.

We’re Almost There: 66 Percent of People in Top Digital Markets Will Own Smartphone in 2018
Smartphone adoption in the world’s top digital markets hasn’t slowed down. In fact, 66.5 percent of individuals in key digital markets will have a smartphone by the end of 2018, according to the New Media Forecasts report from ZenithOptimedia.

Holiday Shopping Weekend Stats: Mobile Clicks Increase, But Not at Expense of Desktop or Tablet Devices
Marin Software Incorporated is out with its post-Black Friday and Cyber Monday data analysis for retail clients.

India’s App Economy Could See Employment Double by 2016
Not only is India’s mobile ecosystem and app economy thriving, the prospects for employment growth are surging.

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The post Here’s What Happened in Mobile Marketing This Week appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

AT&T’s Nick Bianchi on Cross-Platform Marketing: Tailor Content to the Platform
When eMarketer’s Maria Minsker sat down to interview Nick Bianchi, the Director for Social Media at AT&T, a hot topic was cross-platform marketing.

Urban Airship: Retailers’ Apps Shows Mobile’s Growing Influence on Holiday Shopping
On Monday, Urban Airship shed light on an interesting but not necessarily surprising holiday shopping season fact.

No Shocker Here: Cyber Security Is Priority One for Marketers Today
What do three in five U.S. executives worry about most? You’d be right if you guessed security.

New Record in the Books: Cyber Monday 2015 Mangled All Previous Online Shopping Bonanzas
Cyber Monday may now be behind us, but we have enough data to sift through and learn from to keep us busy until next year’s Cyber Monday.

IAB Report: Mobile, Digital Shopping Habits Differ Between Age Groups
Not every age group operates the same way when it comes to digital shopping excursions.

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The post Here’s What Happened in Mobile Marketing This Week appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

But Yahoo decided to test the waters late last week. A flock of folks complained on web forums and social media that they were “blocked from their Yahoo email accounts unless they switched off their ad blockers,” reported the New York Times’ tech blog.

“The issue seems to have first appeared early on Thursday when ‘portnoyd,’ a user on the AdBlock Plus online support forum, was served a pop-up with an ultimatum: Turn off your ad blocker, or forget about getting to your email,” noted the NYT. “Yahoo confirmed the reports, which were discovered by Digiday. Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., did not say how many users were affected.”

It wasn’t a glitch or a hoax. Yahoo went there. It blocked ad blockers.

“At Yahoo, we are continually developing and testing new product experiences,” Anne Yeh, a Yahoo spokeswoman, said in a statement. “This is a test we’re running for a small number of Yahoo Mail users in the U.S.”

This is just the latest in a series of developments that have made ad blocking a critical concern. Apple’s announcement in the fall, for instance, that it would enable ad blocking on the mobile web through its iOS9 mobile operating system, caused a stir of its own.

Additionally, reports throughout the summer of increased ad blocking by users elicited much handwringing, too.

“Many in the industry say that the increased focus on ad blocking has spurred some publishers to reconsider their advertising models, particularly for their mobile sites,” according to the NYT. “Besides Yahoo, some publishers are considering ways to strip out or reduce traditional web display ads on both desktop and mobile sites, and instead generate revenue through sponsorships or so-called native advertising.”

Last, but not least, it isn’t the kind of publicity Yahoo really needs. The company is battling uphill after “years of waning search and advertising revenue and a decrease in traffic to its homepage, once a major destination in the world of digital media.”

The post Yahoo Causes Ballyhoo with Email Restriction on Test Group of Email Users appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The Frugal Blogger: In U.S., Bloggers Bank on Social Media Marketing to Rustle Up Traffic
Behold the lowly blogger: a person whose pockets house more lint than gold. Though blogs have proliferated, a mere 8.7 percent can afford to belly up to the bar for paid promotional services.

Starbucks’ Digital Dominance is Cup of Strong Info Every Business Should Study

“Starbucks’ fiscal 2015 is now in the books and besides strong same store sales and record revenue and earnings, the biggest takeaway is that the company’s digital efforts are generating stunning returns,” says Larry Dignan in a ZDNet piece this week.
SMS Engagement Can Improve Mobile Results For Merchants, Says 3Cinteractive Exec
Brian Heikes, the Vice President of Product at 3Cinteractive, knows that “brands, marketers and merchants are continuously looking for ways to engage their customers through the use of apps.”

Endurance International Group Will Acquire Constant Contact; Firms Look to Better Serve SMBs
Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc. has just announced it is acquiring Constant Contact, Inc. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both firms.

Mobile Marketing Without Accuracy? Just Guesswork, According to MMA
What’s mobile marketing that doesn’t hit the target on time worth? Probably not much. At least, that’s the thinking. And that thinking will be the topic of a Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) webinar on Thursday, November 12 from 1 to 2 p.m. (CST).

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