Omnicom Media Group Mena and July Systems have announced a 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, amongst the highest in the world, a statement said.

Omnicom, a major investor in digital media in the region, and July Systems, a leading mobile media company globally, will 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 monetisation 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 mobilise in the mobile space,” said Elie Khouri, CEO of Omnicom. “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 personalised 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, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service