“With local ad distribution models opening up on mobile, MoVoxx is extending value to merchants and publishers by layering in real-time user location relevance. The PlaceWhere platform is a critical part of this value-chain, enabling MoVoxx to rapidly deploy vital location services,” stated Derek Merrill, vice president, products at MoVoxx.

This new geo-targeting capability now makes the mobile channel relevant for small business and local merchant advertisers. To reach them, MoVoxx aggregates local merchants’ mobile campaigns , through partners such as Citysearch, Marchex and iPromote, as well as by working directly with larger brands interested in geo-targeting such as Sears. With a full range of post-click call-to-action solutions for advertisers – including click-to-WAP landing pages, click-to-call for small business services and SMS reply – GeoSense offers a highly targeted mobile advertising solution for small business and national brands with retail locations.

Mobile advertising has always had to balance the issues of ad relevance with reach and the persistence of fragmentation caused by carrier, handset and transport disparities (SMS, Mobile Web, In App). “We are excited to join forces with MoVoxx, who is taking a leading position in the geo-targeting arena by deploying this capability across all major mobile advertising channels on an integrated basis for advertisers,” said Tom Parrish, vice president, business development for Useful Networks. “The opportunity for advertisers to engage consumers on a more personal level via geo-targeting provides them with the ability to offer more effective advertising. In working with MoVoxx, we are combining our technologies and services efforts to provide better targeting and opening up the mobile channel to the vast local merchant market segment.”

Useful Networks’ PlaceWhere.location clearinghouse dramatically increases advertising relevancy by adding location context to a variety of mobile campaign types, while enforcing the principles of informed consent and privacy, to ensure the consumer is in control of if, how and when their location information is accessed. The entire process is managed by Useful Networks per the CTIA’s best practices, carrier guidelines and consumer regulations.

About Useful Networks

Founded in July 2006, Useful Networks is a Denver-based company that delivers innovative mobile location aggregation and geo-services for both carriers and content providers. Their PlaceWhere platform helps reduce costs, time to market and complexity in launching location aware products and services. Useful Networks is a privately held subsidiary of Liberty Media (NASDAQ: LCAPA). Liberty Media Corporation owns interests in a broad range of electronic retailing, media, communications and entertainment businesses. Useful Networks and PlaceWhere are trademarks of Useful Networks, Inc. For more information, please see http://www.useful-networks.com.

About MoVoxx

MoVoxx is a location-based mobile ad platform that intelligently serves ads into mobile content reaching over 30 million unique US mobile users. GeoSense™ platform combines real-time user location data within the ad serving process to enable national brands and local merchants the ability to launch location-based mobile advertising campaigns – at scale. Multi-mode ad serving provides seamless reach on all forms of mobile media – SMS, mobile web, and mobile app. Using proprietary MobileTrace™ technology, MoVoxx tracks and aggregates user-level mobile behaviors, offering advanced optimization and superior post-click conversion rates. Founded in 2006, MoVoxx is backed by Greycroft Partners, Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital and BV Capital.

NEW YORK – Ringleader Digital, a technology provider for targeted, trackable advertising campaigns, announced a collaboration with Useful Networks™ to co-develop a solution to offer wireless location services to customers. The relationship will enable Ringleader to provide geo-targeting and location-based multicarrier targeting capabilities via Useful Networks’ PlaceWhere™ Platform which reduces costs, time to market and complexity in launching location-aware products.

Their platform serves as a secure location clearinghouse for applications and application providers who want access to carrier-agnostic location based services. In addition, PlaceWhere provides a simple suite of APIs to access mapping and geo-services which complement the core location services.

“We are constantly exploring new opportunities to provide premier services for our customers,” said Bob Walczak, CEO of Ringleader Digital. “The Useful Networks alliance will allow us to offer location-based services for our customers to directly connect with consumers in a non-invasive manner. We welcome the opportunity to embark on this program with Useful Networks, which has a significant presence in the mobile advertising world.”

A major obstacle the mobile advertising industry has experienced over the last several years has been the ability to provide relevant advertising to consumers. Useful Networks’ PlaceWhere location clearinghouse dramatically increases advertising relevancy by adding location context to a variety of mobile marketing campaigns while enforcing the principles of informed consent and user control to ensure the consumer is in control of how and when their location information is accessed. The entire process is managed by Useful Networks per the CTIA’s best practices, carrier guidelines and consumer regulations.

Ringleader exclusively licenses its RLD platform and solutions to publishers, ad networks, agencies, brands and analytics companies as either a bundled solution or on an à-la-carte basis. The platform is an established technology of scalable, licensable solutions that allows customers to identify, track and target mobile and new media users in real time. Every component of the RLD platform works with existing systems used for ad serving. As a result, mobile and new media users can do everything that is being done in the online world, without costly software investments or interoperability issues.

“The opportunity for advertisers to target consumers on a more personal level via geo-targeting capabilities provides them with the ability to offer more effective advertising,” said Brian Levin, CEO of Useful Networks. “By collaborating with Ringleader Digital, we are effectively combining our technologies and services efforts to provide our customers with the capabilities to implement mobile campaigns not only quickly, but effectively.”

About Ringleader Digital

Since it was founded in 2005, Ringleader Digital has focused on being the world’s premier ad serving solution provider, delivering the online equivalent of ad serving technology and functionality to the mobile and new media markets. Today, Ringleader Digital provides technology to leverage rich user data for targeted, trackable advertising and real-time visibility into online campaign performance. Ringleader has developed the RLD platform which consists of scalable, licensable solutions that allow publishers, agencies and analytics companies to identify, track and target mobile and new media users – in real time. Every component works together and integrates with the ad serving systems already in use providing RLD Platform users with the ability to utilize everything that can be done in the online world in mobile and new media. Ringleader exclusively licenses the RLD platform and its solutions to customers as either a bundled solution or on an à-la-carte basis. Ringleader is based in New York City. For more information please visit www.ringleaderdigital.com.

About Useful Networks

Useful Networks is a Denver-based company that delivers innovative mobile location technology products to end users via the Internet and mobile carriers. Founded in July 2006, Useful Networks powers cross-carrier location aggregation for both carriers and content providers. Their PlaceWhere platform helps reduce costs, time to market and complexity in launching location aware products. Useful Networks is a privately held subsidiary of Liberty Media. Liberty Media Corporation owns interests in a broad range of electronic retailing, media, communications and entertainment businesses. Useful networks and PlaceWhere are trademarks of Useful Networks, Inc. For more information, please see http://www.useful-networks.com.

The MAMAs conference and awards dinner was a resounding success at the prestigious Charing Cross hotel with AdMob taking home the overall winner trophy.

Jumptap, gold winner for the category of Best network for delivery of mobile advertising and marketing were thrilled with their taking: “Mobile advertising’s ROI and future success are tied directly to the ability to target audiences with relevant ads,” commented Dan Olschwang, President and CEO of Jumptap. “ This gold award acknowledges our key differentiators – search heritage, deep trusted relationships with global operators, and laser focus on developing advanced targeting technology built specifically for mobile.”

MAMAs award winners for 2009 are:

Best creativity or innovation in mobile marketing and advertising

Gold – Turkcell
Silver – 2ergo
Bronze – Prim’Vision

Best use of mobile in driving new revenue and sales

Gold – Upstream
Silver – UNKASOFT ADVERGAMING
Bronze – IMI Mobile

Best ad-enabled application

Gold – Prim’Vision
Silver – IMI Mobile
Bronze – Javna Mobile Media Network

Best network for delivery of mobile advertising and marketing

Gold – JumpTap
Silver – Turkcell
Bronze – BuzzCity

Best location-based advertising technology

Gold – Useful Networks
Silver – Marvellous Mobile
Bronze – Incentivated

Best Integrated & cross platform strategy utilising mobile marketing

Gold – 2ergo
Silver – Netxcell
Bronze – Javna Mobile Media Network

Best billing provider
Winner – txtNation

Best use of mobile in brand building
Winner – Marvellous Mobile

Best viral aspect to a campaign
Winner – Inside Mobile

Best mobile advertising & marketing company of the year
Winner – AdMob

About visiongain

visiongain is one of the fastest growing and most innovative independent media companies in Europe. Based in London, UK, visiongain produces a host of business-2-business conferences, newsletters, management reports and e-zines focusing on the Telecoms, Pharmaceutical and Defence sectors.

The AdWhere platform uses location technology in mobile networks to target consumers with location-specific advertising on their mobile devices. LBA increases the value of mobile advertising by improving targeting and facilitating deeper levels of consumer engagement.

Useful Networks also published the results of two large-scale trials, which demonstrated the effectiveness of location based advertising over standard mobile advertising. The trial campaigns ran in cooperation with a Tier 1 U.S. Carrier and were designed to allow users to find the nearest quick serve restaurant or car dealership by clicking on a mobile banner ad.

Both trials involved two separate call-to-action banner ads enticing customers to find local store locations. The trial-group banner ad asked users to “opt-in” to find the nearest stores using their current location. The control group was required to manually enter postal codes to find nearby store locations. The LBA trials showed that location-enabled campaigns increased Store Finder conversion rates by 300 percent in the quick serve restaurant trial and 1,000 percent in the automotive dealership trial.

“Our goal was to show that location-enablement increases brand exposure by amplifying conversion rates, allowing brands to reach the right people with the right message at the right time in the right place – increasing the likelihood of consumer response,” said Useful Networks CEO, Brian Levin.

“Our mission is to make location a core element of the mobile marketing experience, while protecting the privacy of the consumer and enforcing the policies set forth by the mobile operators and regulators. These trials are conclusive evidence that location adds measurable value to mobile advertising campaigns, and we’re proud to be officially recognized by Visiongain’s MAMA Awards,” added Levin.

Details on the trials: https://mmaglobal.com/studies/groundbreaking-lba-trials-prove-effectiveness-useful-networks.

More information on the MAMA Awards: http://mobithinking.com/blog/mobile-advertising-and-marketing-awards-winners-include-turkcell-admob.

Information on Useful Networks: http://www.useful-networks.com.

About Useful Networks
Founded in July 2006, Useful Networks powers cross-carrier location aggregation for both carriers and content providers. Their PlaceWhere™ platform reduces costs, time to market and complexity in launching location aware products. Useful Networks is a privately held subsidiary of Liberty Media. For more information, visit http://www.libertymedia.com.

- Lijit Networks, Inc. Secures $7.1 Million Series C Investment Round Led by Foundry Group – Lijit Networks, Inc. (www.lijit.com), a company that provides search-powered applications for both individual online publishers and online publisher networks, announced today that it has closed a $7.1M series C round of financing, led by Foundry Group. Existing investors, Boulder Ventures and Colorado Fund I, managed by High Country Venture, also participated in the round. Lijit will use the proceeds from this financing to launch its search-powered ad network, which empowers publishers to sell their own search ad inventory, as well as to expand its offices and employee base.

- YuMe names online media veteran Michael Mathieu as CEO – Mathieu has joined as CEO as the company begins global expansion and growth and heightens its focus on building new relationships with advertising agencies and publishers. Co–founder and former CEO Jayant Kadambi will take on a new role as President and will remain a member of YuMe’s Board of Directors.

- Useful Networks acquires KnowledgeWhere, location-based mobile games and advertising leader: leading enablers of compelling location-based services (LBS) for mobile phones, announces today the acquisition of Canada-based KnowledgeWhere, a premier provider of location-aware mobile games, location-based advertising (LBA) and developer-enablement programs.