Publishers are both eager to enter the mobile
arena and more than a little anxious about when and how these investments will pay off. Ad serving company Mocean Mobile, owned by ad network Mojiva, is launching a consortium of solution providers
that will help educate the market and field publisher/develop RFPs.
Dubbed the "Publishers Annex," the group will develop white papers and participate in road shows and event demonstrations
targeting the larger publishers that generate at least 10 million monthly page views from mobile devices.
The model is based on what Mojiva cites as the success of the similarly structured
Creative Alliance group of providers that did road shows for agencies on mobile advertising in L.A., Chicago and New York. Mocean says it will issue a quarterly document crafted by the participants in
the Annex. The Annex also will solicit case studies from publishers who work with the group so the examples can be shared at events.
Nine companies have joined the Annex: AirKast, Applico,
FreeRange Communications, Golden Gekko, The Hyperfactory, Polar Mobile, Trilibis Mobile, Wapple and Zumobi. The dedicated Web site at PublisherAnnex.com helps facilitate connections between the
members and publishers.
The publisher/developer can submit an RFP, receive proposals, and then get advice from Mocean on monetization strategies for the new app or site. The group also says it
will help train the publisher's sales force in selling mobile media.
There are additional solutions that providers can apply to be included in the Annex, but Mocean says it intends to keep
this a select group of proven partners.