Mobile Marketing Association issues new best practices for US cross-carrier mobile content services

THE MOBILE Marketing Association (MMA) has this week released the latest version of its U.S. Consumer Best Practices (CBP) Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services.

The guidelines are the industry standard for cross-carrier mobile content services such as text messaging (SMS), multimedia messaging (MMS), shortcode programs, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and mobile Web.

Produced by the MMA’s CBP Committee, the new, version 5.0 guidelines provide measures of acceptable and unacceptable practices for all players in the U.S. ecosystem. The guidelines also serve as the benchmarks for the four largest U.S. wireless service providers – Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile USA – eliminating the need for brands, agencies and marketers to refer to four separate carrier playbooks.

Major updates and additions include: new guidelines for affiliate marketing for premium rate programs, with examples, new guidelines to ensure STOP and HELP keywords work in each program’s native language, and updated guidelines to ensure clarity for all members of the mobile marketing ecosystem.

Version 5.0 also features a new format for faster navigation, using tiered sections such as General Guidelines, Standard Rate, Premium Rate and Free to End User Programs. The new format includes “MMA IDs,” which make it easy to find related sections in previous versions.

"The MMA Consumer Best Practices Guidelines continue to provide the industry-standard reference that every member of the mobile marketing ecosystem turns to when they need definitive answers for ensuring consistency and protecting the consumer experience,” said Kristine van Dillen, Director of Industry Initiatives and Partnerships for the MMA. “Through regular updates, the guidelines are designed to anticipate and address changing industry needs and opportunities while meeting two goals that haven’t changed since the first edition: ensuring consistency and protecting the consumer experience.”

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