Mobile marketing firm Sofialys has struck a deal with Nigerian new media group Terragon. Under the terms of the deal, the Paris-based company will provide its ad serving technology to Terragon’s mobile advertising arm, Twinpine Network, granting exclusive rights to the use of its software for almost the entire sub-Saharan region of Africa.

After moving into the APAC region in 2010, Sofialys says its decision to target the African market is another step in its long-term objective of expanding its global footprint to establish itself as a world-leading provider of ad serving technology. Twinpine Network is a Lagos-based mobile advertising firm with offices in Accra and Nairobi, which is focused on enabling publishers in Africa to monetize their mobile sites, while also providing advertisers with an aggregation of the most best mobile sites.

In a recent study, which interviewed 2,500 consumers in S. Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, and discussed overall comfort with mobile ads, perceived benefits, willingness to receive ads, and interest in major brands across four categories (automotive, travel, consumer electronics and entertainment), 69 per cent of Africans said they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ comfortable with mobile advertising. This is the highest ratio in the world with the United States and Europe trailing behind on 61 per cent.

Sofialys believes that African publishers have a tremendous opportunity to capitalise on this consumer interest in mobile, and says that early movers will grab a massive share of the market. Additionally, African consumers perceive mobile advertising’s major benefit as being “helping me find new information”. This, the company says, has major implications for brands, who should run large burst campaigns to support new products or new feature introductions, since early adopters will be rewarded with a nearly 100 per cent share of voice.
“We see a significant opportunity in Africa for advertising initiatives,” says Sofialys CEO, Mokhtar Bouchelaghem. “The way in which Africa’s half a billion subscribers engage with content, coupled with excellent campaign effectiveness and response levels, means that the continent is extremely well-positioned to embrace mobile advertising.”

Terragon CEO, Elo Umeh, adds:  “African consumers clearly consider the mobile to be the primary screen in their lives, therefore publishers in Africa have a tremendous opportunity to provide local content and grow their business simultaneously. Thanks to our solid partnership with Sofialys, we will be able to capitalise on this and help African publishers and advertisers to offer genuine value in the creative and the content of their mobile advertising.”