Millennial Media launches Tokyo office as smartphones gain share

The Tokyo office will be led by John Greiner as managing director. Greiner was formerly president of MonkeyPaw Games, a digital entertainment publisher. He will be responsible for building relationships with developers and publishers, and working with premium brands to help them execute effective mobile advertising campaigns.

Millennial Media will also work through traditional in-market agencies, media reps and players in Japan, according to company.

Greiner told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the Japanese market was about to enter a new phase where established brands begin to use the power of mobile advertising — something he claimed was not currently a major feature of Japanese advertising.

“Japan's advertisers have typically held strong to traditional media, but smartphones and tablets are changing those paradigms,” he said. “When your mobile device becomes your TV, it is a sign that advertising will shift. We are planning to drive that shift.”

Although Japan is a global forerunner in terms of mobile marketing, Greiner said that the mobile advertising space specifically was "dominated by banner ads". The increased use of smartphones, tablets, rich media and video signalled a "creative opportunity to convey a more compelling message", he said.

Greiner admitted that fierce competition from domestic and international networks, as well as a lack of commitment from major brands to embrace mobile advertising, posed challenges, but pointed to changing dynamics. “Until now, the market has been dominated by performance clients, but we believe brands will start to spend heavily as smartphones penetrate a larger share of the market.”

He clarified that "brands" would not necessarily be focused on prompting transactions, but would potentially use the mobile space to build awareness.

Greiner claimed that the company's neutral, independent status would allow it to offer greater reach and can provide a more balanced solution than domestic competitors. 

“We will bring deep and innovative products such as rich media and video to help clients explore mobile advertising and push their message to mobile users,” he concluded.

With the opening of the Japanese office, Millennial Media now has international offices in London, Singapore, Tokyo, Paris, Hamburg and Jakarta.