• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, August 26, 2010

How does mobile marketing differ around the world? The fundamentals are the same globally, but what differs is that in many countries mobile isn't a nice thing to have, it's a necessity, explains Michael Becker, North American Managing Director for the MMA, in a presentation on mobile use globally. He points out that in Africa, mobile plays a key part in HIV treatment and other health-related areas. You can even use mobile to pre-pay insurance for your own funeral. Yikes.

Mobile commerce company M-Pesa has gotten uptake from the unlikely market of  goatherders in Africa, who use its money transfer system to buy and sell goats at market. Who needs a credit card? In the U.K, the company jobsite has had success with 15-second mobile job ad, boosting traffic to its site nearly 500%. In Norway, you can file your taxes from a mobile phone and in India you can even download a condom-themed ringtone (as part of a health campaign). "So all this shows how critical mobile is becoming to people's lives," said Becker. And you thought you were an avid mobile user.