As we wind down for the holidays I would like this opportunity to thank the fantastic people who have supported MSG with content, ideas and guest columns, taking MSG to a new and exciting level.

My personal thanks to Carlo Longino for DATA POINTS, the weekly roundup he has contributed to MSG throughout 2009. Of course, this regular post is just a small indication of his talents.

Carlo, an experienced writer and analyst who has been working in the mobile industry for over a decade, also takes on communications and consulting projects to help companies build profile and raise their brand and product awareness. Most recently, Carlo has been working as a freelance writer and consultant, delivering marketing collateral and Internet content for companies like Nokia, as well as marketing and content strategy consultancy services to several small organizations and startups. It has been a pleasure to work with him and I highly recommend him for writing/consulting projects you may have in the pipeline in 2010. Please feel free to contact him directly at carlo at mobhappy dot com.

COLUMNISTS

MSG was also fortunate to work with a roster of accomplished analysts and subject matter experts, personalities and voices that will be back with more guest columns and contribution in 2010.

A round of thanks to Annette Kramer for her worthwhile advice to entrepreneurs; Martin Wilson for his excellent analysis of location and local search/advertising; and Jim Levey, who contributed several insightful columns examining personalization and platform convergence before taking a position with NorthPoint, a consulting firm with expertise in financial services and media. A warm welcome to Colm Healy, Vice President of EMEA and General Manager of Xiam Technologies for Qualcomm Internet Services (QIS), who launched a series of columns in December analyzing the role of personalization and recommendation technologies.

ASSOCIATES

I particularly look forward to working with Matthew Snyder (ADOStrategies), whose first guest column included a comprehensive (and opinionated) review of a recent mobile advertising event. The New Year will also see Matthew and I collaborating together (and with a team of esteemed industry authorities including author and analyst Chetan Sharma and Roman Kikta, seasoned entrepreneur, venture capital investor and author) on a variety of strategic projects.

I am also proud to be a VisionMobile Associate and to have contributed to the Mobile Industry Atlas, a must-have wall chart that enables us to understand and navigate the complex mobile industry. MSG will be back with information on how you can order this comprehensive work (with a special discount). MSG and VisionMobile will also collaborate on some exclusive interviews with mobile industry movers & shakers, so watch this space (!)

BRIEFING ROOMS

Part of MSG’s growing portfolio of media solutions and consultative services is a branded presence called a “Briefing Room.” The aim to provide a select roster of clients a microsite where they can share thought leadership and communicate their value proposition to MSG’s in front of our growing and loyal community of mobile operators, influencers, senior executives, VCs and decision-makers.

The New Year will see an avalanche of new content from MSG Briefing Room partners. Tego Interactive — a Web and mobile product and services company — will be back in 2010 with a series of mini-white papers and “cheat sheets” designed to help converged businesses wring more value out of their digital assets.

Netsize, a global provider of commerce and communications solutions, will use its hosted microsite to showcase podcasts, exclusive interviews and excerpts of the Netsize Guide. The combination mobile industry almanac and analysis recounts the highlights of 2009 and industry developments/issues impacting the future of mobile at all levels.

The New Year will see MSG make room for additional Briefing Room partners, including Taptu, a pioneer in socially-assisted mobile search. Taptu will have some exciting news to reveal in 2010, and MSG will be instrumental in communicating what this means for the wider mobile Web. If you want a hint, then I suggest you download the company’s insightful white paper outlining the requirements of the Touch Web on mobile search services.

DIGITAL NATIVES & MOBILE ADVERTSING

I have also been asked by an esteemed colleague to contribute a chapter on mobile youth to her upcoming ebook dissecting the customer segment we call “digital natives.” I’m excited to have the opportunity to share my observations and to showcase Graham Brown and Josh Dhaliwal, foremost authorities in youth marketing and mobile culture research. More on the book as it develops.

I also continue to collect case studies and best practice for my own ebook on mobile advertising and mobile marketing. I am privileged that this work is endorsed by leading global mobile organizations including the Association for Interactive Media & Entertainment (AIME), the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), the Mobile Data Association (MDA) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). With their strong support and good ideas this publication will educate the marketplace, highlight growth opportunities and expertly document the best practices that make business sense.

Paul Palmieri, President and CEO of Millennial Media, the largest and fastest growing mobile advertising networks company in the U.S, is the first member of the advisory board and additional appointments will be announced in the next weeks. (Huge thanks to Erin (Mack) McKelvey, Millennial Media Vice President, Marketing, for her good ideas and enthusiasm throughout this project. I look forward to continuing the collaboration in 2010!)

GOOD TEAMWORK

As we gear up for the New Year I’m especially proud of the broad range of bespoke content MSG will produce and promote for clients in 2010, including strategic industry reports (for example, recommendation & personalization technologies on behalf of GigaOM PRO), publications (for example, the Netsize Guide 2010 on behalf of the great team at Netsize) and podcasts (for example, mobile media and marketing insights on behalf of Blyk). And this is just the beginning!

THANK YOU!

A final round of thanks for partners and colleagues who have helped make MSG a top-notch knowledge resource.

• Alfred DeRose and Brian Avery, Tego Interactive executives, for the creation of new features and functionality on both MSG and its mobile website.
• Stan Chesnais, Netsize CEO, Alexander Vlasblom, Netsize Group Marketing Communications Director, for inspiration and collaboration on this year’s Netsize Guide.
• Inma Martinez, close friend, leading digital media strategist and advisor to venture capitalists, for co-hosting the phenomenally popular MSG podcast series Mobile Groove.
• Adam Parker & Jonathan Dolby at RealWire for supporting MSG with a global news release distribution service (specializing in the online media and mobile) that consistently delivers reach, audience and exceptional analytics.
• Grant Butler Coomber team (and Billy Burnett!!) for their continued advice and support on how to build awareness of MSearchGroove projects and initiatives
• Jeff Fishburn (”always-on” at OnPR) for strategic advice and valuable assistance in extending MSG’s reach back to the U.S. (where it all started before I set up operations in Germany).
• Liz Erk for good ideas and good listening. Her talent: securing major media placements and speaking engagements for client companies.
• Andrea Henninge for being the most trustworthy PA I could hope for.
• Bev Nicholson for transcribing key interviews on tight deadlines (and yes, the complete transcripts will be available for free download in 2010).

To all MSG supporters, enthusiasts and friends: My best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a great 2010!

It’s all good.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 24th, 2009 at 6:27 pm and is filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.