We’ve talked a few times about mobile marketing which is the concept of advertising on cellphones and other mobile devices.  I think that, at least in our industry, this medium is meeting resistance because it’s unproven.  Well, Nielsen may be about to change all of that with their recent acquisition of Telephia, a private company based in San Francisco that has become one of the most respected sources of data about cellphone use.

This data includes an inside look at consumers’ phone calling, mobile Web surfing, video viewing and just about verything else.  Nielsen has been building mobile tracking products on its own, but Telephia will greatly advance its ability to track media consumption on every screen, Nielsen executives said.

There’s a famous saying that “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”  Apparently we are well on our way to being able to measure cellphone activity including mobile marketing/advertising.  Once that happens, I believe it will be a potentially viable addition to our media mix in the PI industry.