The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has announced the creation of a UK Council to lead the establishment of guidelines and best practices and educate and evangelize on the mobile channel in the UK. The Council will be chaired by Sponges Alex Meisl and Scott Seaborn of Ogilvy Group UK. The new council has brought together 56 member companies from the MMAs global, European and local membership. Seven of these – Sponge, Incentivated, Yodel, Netsize, Rapid Mobile, Reporo and We Love Mobile have joined the MMA as a result of the UK Council launch. The UK Local Council joins other previously established MMA European Local Councils including Spain, Ireland, Germany and Austria.
The MMA says that the UK Councils priorities and initiatives will be based on the needs of local membership and market dynamics, while ensuring synergies with the global organization. The UK Council will initially work on a series of education workshops for brands and agencies. On an ongoing basis, it will provide members with the opportunity to participate in and lead committees on key industry topics, and provide a forum for industry leaders to come together. Nielsen Mobile research shows that the mobile Internet audience in the UK has grown by 61% since Q3 2007, and with 1 in 5 UK mobile users recalling seeing a mobile ad, the MMA says the UK Council is ideally positioned to help marketers to capitalise on this rapidly expanding market.
I am looking forward to working with Alex to harness the great drive, enthusiasm and passion already existing within the UK mobile marketing community to further the industry for everyone involved, says Seaborn, who is UK Council Co-chair and Head of Mobile Technologies at Ogilvy Group UK. 
Fellow Co-chair and Sponge Chairman Meisl says:
Sponge is excited to be involved in this initiative, and were pleased to welcome current and new members to the Local Council. The UK has a very strong mobile marketing presence which together we can continue to drive forward.