LONDON, December 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The GSMA today announced the details of its Mobile Ad Forum conference programme at the 2011 Mobile World Congress, which will be held 14-17 February, 2011 in Barcelona. This "event within an event" addresses the unique requirements of brand and services marketers, advertising agencies, mobile operators and others in the mobile advertising value chain.

"With unmatched reach, interactivity and personalisation capabilities, more than ever before, mobile has a critical role to play in the development and execution of brand marketing campaigns," said Michael O'Hara, chief marketing officer for the GSMA. "The Mobile Ad Forum at Mobile World Congress provides an ideal platform where leading players from across mobile and advertising can come together, discuss the key challenges and opportunities facing the collective and explore how, together, we can unlock the huge market potential of mobile advertising."

Sessions in the Mobile Ad Forum at Mobile World Congress will examine the following subjects: "Integrating Mobile into a Broader Advertising Campaign", "How Effective is Multimedia Mobile Advertising?", "How to Make In-App Advertising Work", and "Delivering Personalised Advertising While Protecting Privacy". The Mobile Ad Forum will span Tuesday, 15th February and Wednesday, 16th February.

Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive of WPP, the world's largest communications services group, will share his perspectives on the intersection of advertising and the explosive mobile application market in a keynote presentation on Tuesday, 15th February. Michael Roth, Chairman and CEO of Interpublic Group, one of the world's premier advertising and marketing services companies, will offer his insights on the role of mobile in creating truly integrated communications campaigns in a keynote on Tuesday, 15th February.

Other speakers slated to participate in the Mobile Ad Forum include:

- Nancy Hill, CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) - Vanessa Colella, Head of North American Marketing, Citigroup - Tom Daly, Group Manager, Strategy and Planning, Global Interactive Marketing Group at The Coca-Cola Company - Tom Hume, Managing Director, Future Platforms - Adam Smith, Futures Director, Group M - Eric Bader, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Initiative - Quentin George, Chief Digital Officer, IPG/Mediabrands - James Hilton, Joint CEO, M&C Saatchi Mobile - Rudi Broos, Innovation Director, Alcatel-Lucent Bell - Zohar Levkovitz, CEO and Co-Founder, Amobee - Matthew Hull, Vice President, Product and Operations, AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions - Ian Carrington, Director of Mobile Advertising Sales, EMEA, Google - Kevin Scott, Director of Software Engineering, Google - Andrea Macario, Head of Advertising and Placement, Ovi Store, Nokia - Tanya Field, Director, Mobile Data Group, Telefonica O2 - Alex Linde, Director, Mobile Advertising, Yahoo!

GSMA and Coca-Cola in the Hunt for Leading Brand Apps

In addition to the Mobile Ad Forum conference programme, Mobile World Congress will also feature the Brand App Challenge, a competition in which mobile application developers create "brand apps" for a select group of global consumer brands, including Coca-Cola, with its Coca-Cola, Coke Zero and Diet Coke brands. Winners of the Brand App Challenge will be named at the GSMA Mobile World Congress, which will be held 14-17 February, 2011 in Barcelona.

"The Brand App Challenge will create networking and business opportunities which benefit the brands, application developers and the broader mobile ecosystem," commented O'Hara. "This competition taps the creativity and capabilities of the mobile application developer community to address brand and industry challenges, and we are thrilled to be working with Coca-Cola to help them maximise the power of mobile."

For more information on the Brand App Challenge, including criteria for participation, creative briefs, details on the submission process and more, please visit http://www.brandappchallenge.com.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile communications industry.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the new online portal for the mobile communications industry, at http://www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at http://www.gsmworld.com.

SOURCE: GSMA

CONTACT: Daniel Lowther, +44-7747-636-687, press@gsm.org