OMG MENA, July Systems partner to develop mobile marketing opportunity

OMG MENA, July Systems partner to develop mobile marketing opportunity

New partnership to lead to next generation of rich mobile services in the region

May 23, 2011 10:38 by p.deleon

Omnicom Media Group MENA (OMG MENA) and July Systems announced its partnership that will enable media owners to create and monetise content on mobile internet platforms.

Mobile internet is set to become the primary access globally with the GCC showing a 93 per cent mobile penetration, among the highest in the world. Widely seen as one of the world’s fastest emerging mobile and internet markets, it is estimated that the region’s mobile investments will be worth $35 million by 2015.

With this in mind, OMG MENA, which is reportedly the region’s largest investor in digital media, and July Systems, one of the world’s leading mobile media company, have joined forces to roll-out out a world class mobile media platform in MENA. This will enable print, broadcast and digital media owners, as well as advertisers, to create, reach and engage with consumers.

Monthly regional mobile ad impressions are projected to reach one billion in 2011 with mobile growth rates set to outstrip those seen in the overall digital market in the next five years. Marketing and media investments are expected to follow suit.

The partnership was announced at 4Mobility, a forum on the mobile opportunity, staged in Dubai Media City. Attended by advertisers and media owners, its key message was that mobile marketing is no longer about ‘whether’ but ‘how’ brands will deploy it. The digital media heads of CBS, ESPN and Viacom spoke at the event sharing their experiences on content monetization and mobile advertising success.

“We always felt that the mobile opportunity was just waiting to happen. We therefore decided to act and create the platform through which content, brands and consumers can mobilize in the mobile space,” said Elie Khouri, CEO of Omnicom Media Group MENA. “Partnering with July Systems will ensure the offering is world class. On the one hand, media owners will be able to deploy bespoke mobile strategies and create, manage and monetize content efficiently. On the other, we will have access to mobile content that audiences will seek and engage with, giving brands access to a new and highly effective channel though which they will be able to communicate with their target consumers.”

Prem Bhatia, president of July Systems, added: “We are fortunate to count the world’s largest media brands as our partners, having helped them build large and scalable mobile businesses over the last decade. In Omnicom Media Group MENA, we have found the perfect partner for this region and together we will take media owners, brands, enterprises and consumers to a new level, through the next generation of rich mobile services.”

July Systems’ Mi Platform is a cloud based solution empowering media owners with tools and pre-built modules to launch interactive and rich mobile services. It is the industry’s first next-generation publishing platform delivering flexibility in design and time-to-market advantages in delivery. Offering innovative features such as HTML5 web apps, session based advertising, Freemium monetisation models and personalized push based customer relationship management, the platform enables media owners to focus on growth in their core areas and build a sustainable mobile internet presence.