Affle, Aircel win at MMA Awards

Several Indian entries have won at the APAC level in the past. However, this is the first time that an Indian campaign has been awarded at the global level.

At the recently held Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) Awards in New York, two Indian companies, Affle and Aircel, have been recognised for their contribution to the mobile marketing industry.

Affle has received the awards for the Best Use of Mobile Media for branding purposes, both in the APAC and Global segment. These awards were won for its advertising for Maruti Suzuki, for a campaign which helped Maruti leverage sponsorship of top sporting events on Airtel's mobile platform.

To win this award, Affle documented a two month campaign using multiple mobile media platforms such as Affle's SMS2.0, mobile internet, voice portals and SMS advertising.

The campaign was a result of Affle, Airtel and Maruti Suzuki's study of changing consumer behaviour, which showed a significant increase in the consumption of sports related content on mobile phones. Taking this key factor into consideration, a campaign to increase Maruti Suzuki's association with sports and to build greater affinity with its target audience on their medium of choice was created. The uniqueness, scale and results of the campaign ensured that it became the first Indian entry to win this award in the Global category at the MMA.

On the other hand, Aircel has received an award in the Innovation category in APAC level for Aircel Pocket Internet. Aircel introduced Pocket Internet cards, which offers unlimited browsing, unlimited song shuffle on Dialer Tunes to free exciting games, free wallpapers and a whole lot more. The company started the scheme with an intention to attract youngsters to cash on their interest in social networking sites such as Facebook and Orkut.

Several Indian entries have won awards in the APAC level earlier. However, this is the first time that an Indian campaign has been awarded as the best globally.

MMA is the premier global non-profit trade association representing all players in the mobile marketing value chain. With more than 700 member companies, MMA is an action-oriented organisation with global focus, regional actions and local relevance. MMA's primary focus is to establish mobile as an indispensable part of the marketing mix. Its global headquarters are located in the US and it has regional chapters, including North America (NA), Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America (LATAM) and Asia Pacific (APAC)) branches.

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com