About 20 companies have joined a new association created to bring accountability to advertising seen on wireless devices.
The Wireless Advertising Industry Association, created to develop standards and address technical, creative and business issues associated with advertising on mobile devices, met for the first time last week in San Francisco.
Founded by AdForce Inc., an online provider of outsourced ad management and delivery services, WAIA’s charter members include Motorola Inc., Nokia Corp., OmniSky and Sprint PCS, among others.
“Wireless advertising is an immature, yet rapidly developing market,” said Chuck Berger, chief executive officer of AdForce, in a statement from the company. “We believe we have an opportunity and a responsibility to shape its evolution through the efforts of this association.”
“The association’s total focus is on the wireless area and making sure we set forward best practices,” said Tim DePriest, director of strategic marketing for AdForce.
During the initial meetings, WAIA came up with five initiatives it hopes to carry out as the association matures, including:
.Developing metrics for measuring advertising delivery and users’ acceptance of those ads;
Developing open and compatible wireless advertising technical and creative standards, including creating a glossary for wireless advertisers;
Defining and publishing a set of best practices, including an industrywide privacy policy;
Positioning WAIA as a resource for the wireless advertising industry; and
Focusing the industry on achieving advertising effectiveness and consumer acceptance.
“We are trying to create a situation where customers view ads as enhancing their use of their wireless device,” said Brock Berkowitz, president of OmniSky.
WAIA said it will consult with Asian and European wireless companies-which have had more widespread success with wireless data delivery and devices-in developing new policies and standards for wireless carriers and advertisers.
Berger also said WAIA intends to collaborate with other industry organizations such as adXML.org, the Wireless Application Protocol Forum and the Internet Advertising Bureau.
The association expects to hold its first open meeting for members sometime in June.
