Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP)

Advertising and marketing play a vital role in the internet and mobile industry, as like any other media channel, the survival of internet and media companies rely on marketing for revenues. The explosion of internet companies like Google and Yahoo! has changed the way internet is used in marketing, and the same can be said on how telecom companies like Vonage or Verizon revolutionized mobile marketing. To date, web and mobile accounts for 10% of advertising spending in the US, and is expected to increase to 40-50% within the next couple of years in certain industries.

In the Philippines, marketing through the web has yet to take off. Last year, it is estimated that online ad spending would sum up to only P100 million, a measly 0.2% of the total advertising spending. Mobile shares the same fate, although while they are higher than web advertising, they are also a small percentage of the total ad mix.

The two new media internet and mobile, sometimes referred to as interactive or digital media, possess a wealth of opportunities for marketers to communicate directly with their customers. Unlike the traditional media television, radio or print where these media serve as channels for advertising placements, digital media provide marketers the opportunity to utilize technology to have a closer relationship with their customers as these media offer 24/7 communication and engagement, feedback mechanisms, and other CRM tools.

With the power of being digital and interactive, it goes without mentioning that the two marketing media, internet and mobile, at this stage of development, are very much underutilized and not given the appropriate attention. Both are seen as a techie-geeky tool, somewhat confined to only those who were nerdy enough to understand them, and very much underutilized in the marketing community.

It is because of this opportunity and need that companies that belong to the internet and mobile media have come together to form IMMAP (the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines) is to , and embarked on working towards educating and providing the necessary digital tools for advertising and marketing professionals to make better communication decisions. It is believed that the two media will soon be utilized and used as complementary marketing tools to traditional media once advertising and marketing professionals understand how these can be used and optimized.