--US State Department Works with Clickatell to Send President Obama’s SMS Speech Excerpts to Middle East and African Regions

November 23, 2009, Redwood City, CA – Last week, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced its 2009 winners during the Fifth Annual MMA Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles, CA. Clickatell was honored with a first place win in the “Best Mobile Campaign by Channel & Region” category, highlighting its work with the US State Department and its successful global mobile campaign to send ‘live’ text messages during President Obama’s Cairo and Ghana speeches earlier this year.

"The MMA, its members and the entire mobile marketing community come together each year to honor our industry's exemplary campaigns and remarkable leaders throughout the world," said Mike Wehrs, president and CEO of the MMA.

"We congratulate this year's winners and finalists on their outstanding achievements, and look forward to their continued success as they help advance the mobile marketing channel's evolution in the years to come."

Creating an industry first "Mobile Town Hall Without Borders," this extraordinary mobile SMS campaign reached thousands who might not traditionally have a ‘voice’ during important events. To view a video of the white house administration talking about the success of the Ghana event, visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/video/White-House-Press-Briefing-7/15/09/. Actual SMS responses can still be seen on http://www.america.gov/ghana_sms_map.html.

Last week, Gartner issued a press release identifying the Top 10 Mobile Applications of 2012, based on their impact on consumers and industry players, considering revenue, loyalty, business model, consumer value and estimated market penetration. Number One on the list is Money Transfer, using SMS. Other notables are Mobile Payments, Location Based Services, Near Field Communications, and Mobile IM. Bryan Osborne, blogger at Geek.com commented, “At one time I believed that instant messaging might takeover SMS. It looks like SMS will remain firmly in place.”

“With over 4 billion SMS enabled mobile phones in use around the world, SMS remains the single most effective method to reach the masses,” said Pieter de Villiers, Clickatell CEO. “The US State Department required a fast and easy way to reach people in all corners of the world and in multiple languages, giving them the ability to be a part of the most historic speeches of our time. The credit really goes to the US Department of State and President’s Obama’s commitment to reach people at grassroots level and acknowledging that the mobile phone, using Clickatell’s Global SMS Gateway, was the most compelling solution to achieve their goal.”

The MMA's fifth annual awards competition attracted hundreds of submissions in twelve categories from companies across the globe. Winners were selected by the MMA Awards Selection Committee comprised of global industry leaders from wireless carriers, technology and content providers, agencies and industry publications. Other esteemed winners using the mobile phone to reach people around the globe include Kraft Foods, Coca Cola, Pizza Hut, UPS, ESPN, and more.