Mobile Firms Partner to Define Ad Metrics

The UK's five main mobile phone operators have agreed to work together to define common metrics and measurements for mobile advertising, beginning with traffic to mobile sites. If successful, the metrics should be rolled out internationally.

The GSM Association (GSMA) - the trade body which represents mobile phone operators - has brokered the deal with Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile, Telefónica O2 and Hutchison 3G UK, and is helping the five define the exact metrics that advertisers, agencies and online publishers expect from mobile ads. A third party company is developing a computer module that integrates the data from each carrier into one database.

The partners plan to share data on traffic to mobile sites and eventually want to provide advertisers with census data, which would log information on every visit to a mobile web site. Personal information would be removed by the operators, and then the data would be collected and audited by an outside firm.

Henry Stevens, GSMA Director of Media and Entertainment, said the operators had not yet decided how much information to provide. As well as the number of visitors to a site, data could be included on the amount of time users spend on a site, the number of pages on that site that they visit and the kind of handset they are using.

By the end of 2008, the GSA plans to have defined the metrics, proved the feasibility of delivering the information and packaged this into something which will be used by media planners.

'Success for us will be proving the concept in the UK, and then being able to roll it out elsewhere, Stevens added.' That is the good thing about having the big operator groups involved, we know they are planning on replicating this in other markets.'

To date, the working group has focussed on WAP browsing, which allows smart phones to access the Internet. Ultimately the partners intend to move towards advertising in messaging, videos and games. Armed with such data, Stevens says advertisers and agencies would be more likely to allocate funds to mobile ad campaigns.

Founded in 1987, The GSMA is a global trade association representing more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 217 territories and countries of the world. The body is online at www.gsmworld.com.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.