Asia Mobile Awards 2009

SMART wins 3 awards in Asia Mobile Awards 2009

In an “unprecedented” performance, Philippine wireless operator Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) bagged three out of 11 awards at the annual Mobile Asia Congress held here in Hong Kong by the GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade group for the mobile industry.

SMART’s winning entries were: Smart Money’s expanded mobile-based security feature for online purchases under the Best Mobile Money Service category; SMART Islands Activation Program (IAP) under the Mobile Money for the Unbanked Award category; and the AXE on Phone campaign, in partnership with Unilever, under the Best Mobile Advertising or Marketing category.

These entries won in the field of over 100 submissions from mobile phone operators all over Asia. They have been automatically shortlisted for the Global Mobile Awards, which will be held during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain in 2010.

“This is unprecedented (for the GSMA), that one company has won three awards in one night,” said Rob Conway, Chairman and CEO of the GSMA.

“These awards show that the Philippines has an innovative and vibrant telecommunications industry that continues to provide its customers with ground-breaking products and services,” said Napoleon L. Nazareno, President and CEO of SMART. “

“Para sa Pinoy ang mga awards na ito. (These awards are for Filipinos.) As we embed Smart Money into the web experience with our Mobile-based Online Security Feature, our Islands Activation program at the same time reaches deep into the grassroots and impact people's lives,” said Orlando B. Vea, SMART Chief Wireless Advisor.

“The AXE on Phone campaign shows our leadership in developing a new marketing space that will be a source of revenues in the future," he added.

The Smart Island Activations Program provides remote, underserved island communities with mobile money transfer services. This was piloted in Polillo Island, Quezon province which was cut off from financial services when the only rural bank on the island and the telegraphic transfer office closed shop in 2008. Working with the RHUDARDA Multi-Purpose Cooperative (RMPC), SMART enabled island residents to send and receive cash, buy airtime and pay for goods and services using mobile phones. This service will be replicated in 40 other small islands in different parts of the country through SMART’s partnership with SeedFinance, the Mindanao Microfinance Council and other MFIs.

Smart Money’s new internet payments security feature allows SMART subscribers to make online purchases even more secure with the help of their cellular phones. Purchases from MasterCard online retail partners using Smart Money accounts are authorized outside the internet environment via a Smart mobile phone. The new security feature unlocks the Smart Money account prior to a purchase and then automatically locks it after the transaction. This effectively prevents online fraud and other potential abuses.

The AXE on Phone campaign combined SMS, mobile content, and web components. SMART provided a special mobile number 09088933333 as a hotline, enabling consumers to participate in the promo of Unilever, the manufacturer of AXE. Open to adult males, the promo mechanics included calling the AXE hotline and answering two qualifying questions. Callers who answered the questions correctly got a unique promo code, sent via SMS, which qualified them for a raffle that gave away 50 iPhones. The promo was also supported by Unilever’s content provider, Megamobile, and its media partner, ARC.

The SMART Post-Marketing Waste Management Initiative (tarpaulin recycling) was also a finalist under The Green Mobile Award category.

The GSMA represents more than 750 GSM mobile operators as well as 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organizations, across 219 countries and territories.