In a move intended to help protect mobile consumers from misleading advertising and commercial practices in the mobile environment, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has opened a special membership program targeted at mobile affiliate marketers.

The mobile affiliate marketing sector has really begun to grow over the past year or so (see MobiAD post on Gameloft’s affiliate program and this interesting blog post from mjelly).

As many mobile consumers are interacting with these affiliates, it is important that they adhere to the standards and practices that are developing to keep the mobile experience a positive one.

By becoming an MMA Affiliate Member, companies agree to follow MMA guidelines outlined in the U.S. Consumer Best Practices and Global Code of Conduct. In return, they receive education in recent policy and self-regulatory decisions from the MMA, insight into the MMA’s initiatives, plus networking opportunities with other MMA members. They also receive industry recognition that they are educated in and agree to abide by industry self-regulation guidelines published and maintained by the MMA.

According to the MMA, the Affiliate Member program was created to address the increasing instances of poor user experience that result from misleading advertising practices in premium short-code programs.

MMA president and CEO Mike Wehrs explained, “The Affiliate Members program is the latest example of how the MMA identifies and proactively addresses issues that affect both consumers and the mobile channel opportunity. This new program is a win-win because it means more individuals will follow MMA guidelines and best practices, benefitting the ecosystem, while consumers will be better protected from misleading advertising while interacting with their mobile device.”

For more information, read the MMA press release, or go to the MMA website affiliates page.

Other articles of interest in MobiAD News:

• US Mobile Operators Reach Agreement On Mobile Marketing Standards

• MMA Releases Global Code of Conduct

• MMA Publishes Mobile Search Whitepaper

• Bluetooth Marketing Guidelines From MMA