MOBILE marketing, the offshoot of online or digital marketing, is fast gaining a bigger share of the advertising dollars. According to IT research agency Gartner, global expenditure on mobile advertising is expected to hit US$18 billion, an increase from the estimated US$13.1 billion last year. North America and Europe lead mobile marketing's growth, overtaking the Asia-Pacific region, which had enjoyed an early lead in recent years due to the high adoption of handsets.

It was on this upbeat note that the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) held the sixth edition of its Forum here last Thursday. About 250 delegates came together from across the region to discuss the role of mobile in the consumer world.

Rohit Dadwal, MMA Asia-Pacific managing director told BizIT: "Five years ago, our time was spent convincing marketers of mobile's efficacy as an advertising and consumer engagement medium. With the exponential growth of mobile, it is no longer a nice-to-have element in a marketing campaign but rather a must-have and is a key factor driving innovation in marketing."