• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 29, 2009

At least, that's what Ogilvy Interactive's Maria Mandel said during her keynote at OMMA mobile this morning. While consumers currently see "advertising as a bad word" on mobile media, they are increasingly becoming reliant on their mobile devices, and ultimately will become reliant on using them to conduct all sorts of commerce, including their interactions with marketers. They just may not be thinking of it as advertising, as we know it.

When Ogilvy conducted research, it found that consumers consider their cell phones the third most important thing to take with them when they leave home, next to their keys and their wallet.

"What happens when their mobile phone becomes their wallet," Mandel said, adding, "As we"ve seen in Asian markets."

When that happens, and consumers start using their mobile devices to buy things, and respond to offers, then it will ultimately become marketing's "killer app."

"That in my mind is the Holy Grail of marketing," Mandel said.