In our 5 minutes with profiles, MEF members talk about their business, their aspirations for the future and the wider mobile industry. This week, Gavin Dent introduces mobile advertising monitoring specialists Empello.
Tell us a little about what Empello does ?
Empello is the first company to specialise in monitoring 3G/ 4G advertising leading to services paid for on the mobile account (VAS, DCB or Mobile Payments).
Our clients include mobile carriers, content providers and aggregators, who want data about traffic sources and ad flows, to reduce regulatory risk, optimise business and keep consumers safe.
When did your company launch and what growth have you seen?
We launched in 2012 from a small office in the “tech city” area of London, and by the end of that year we had 5 clients who we supported in the UK market. Today Empello has over 50 clients, and we operate in 19 countries.
We’ve twice had to move to larger offices, and we have just acquired the office space above our third office so we can expand further.
What are your main goals?
Mobile advertising is often delivered using affiliate networks, ad exchanges and other dynamic placements, which make it difficult to find the original source of the promotion.
The main role of Empello is to provide an overview of the end-to-end ad journey experienced by the consumer prior to purchase.
We find and record the complete “ad flow” (web banners, in-app promotion, viral social postings, pre-landers), to enable our clients to remove misleading or fraudulent marketing.
What are your plans for the next 6- 12 months?
We’ve identified some key regions for further growth. A great example is Latin America, where Empello has over 3 years of experience. Last year we appointed Erik Heintze as our Regional Manager LATAM, our first full-time manager based outside Europe. Erik is based in Sao Paulo, and his presence allows us to serve existing clients in the region as well as develop new opportunities.
What aspect of mobile is most exciting to you?
Mobile is a great industry to be involved with, as it affects almost every part of our lives. Most of all I enjoy the pace of change and unpredictability. Sometimes it can be difficult to anticipate the next trend or change, but what is certain is that things will not stay static.
What is the biggest threat to mobile right now?
The potential and innovation in the mobile industry is unparalleled, but future success requires extensive investment to develop services, presence and the trust of consumers. For long-term players, it is important that this investment is not put at risk by misleading or tricking consumers into buying services. So, it’s great that Empello can contribute to sustainable mobile business by uncovering and recording for our clients unacceptable or problematic marketing.
Where do you see Empello in 3 years ?
At Empello we continue to invest heavily in our people and in our technology to ensure clients have the most comprehensive 3G ad monitoring possible. In the past year, we have seen big increases in misleading promotions associated with Facebook, Whatsapp, incentivised/ content-locking, overlay/ i-framing, in-app, email, redirect, and app malware. For certain, there will be plenty of new challenges ahead. We will evaluate new projects and geographical expansion, whilst ensuring we continue to deliver great service across our current markets.
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