NEW YORK - Media brands are leaving no stone unturned to offer advertisers a package comprising mobile sites, applications, SMS alerts and social media integration.

Panelists addressed advertising growth on their publications during the ?Are Publishers and Broadcasters Providing an Advertiser-Friendly Environment for the Holidays?? panel. The panelists agreed that it is important to deliver a branding experience across all channels.

?Around the holiday season, people are checking news via our platforms,? said Craig Kirkland, director of mobile products at CNN, Atlanta. ?We offer a lot of other content categories, including travel, technology, food and this gives an opportunity to advertisers if a product or service makes sense in that kind of topic.

?Knowing your customers is really important and what you?re trying to tell them is as critically important,? he said.

The panelists also included Cameron Clayton, vice president of mobile at The Weather Channel, Atlanta; Craig Etheridge, vice president of mobile advertising sales at Gannett Digital/USA Today, Atlanta; Katie Juhl, manager of mobile at National Geographic, Washington; Scott Drake, vice president of digital technology and products at CNBC, Englewood, NJ and Laura McEwen, vice president and publisher of Self magazine, New York.

The panel was moderated by Dan Butcher, associate editor at Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily, New York.

Getting the word out about mobile
Mr. Kirkland said that SMS is a great way to encourage consumers to sign up and build a company?s database.

Then, throughout the year, the company can use that to drive to other sales and promotions and build an ongoing relationship that every brand wants with its consumers.

Although most panelists claim that this is the year of mobile, Mr. Kirkland believes it?s the year of something else.

?This is the year of mobile metrics,? Mr. Kirkland said. ?People are getting comfortable with metrics.

?It?s important to see how mobile can be just beyond a click-through rate,? he said.

Sponsorship outreach
For the Weather Channel?s Mr. Clayton, sponsorships are important to the company.

?It?s a big thing for us to be able to provide to our advertisers and marketers,? Mr. Clayton said. ?Travel is probably one of the biggest activities in the holiday season and the [Weather Channel] is a very logical place for the retail brands to spend.

Mr. Clayton also foresees that there is going to be a huge uptake in mobile consumer spending this holiday season.

?America overall is going through a turbulent time and we want to help consumers save money in their retail experience with price comparisons and things like that,? he said. ?Price sensitivity is going to be paramount ? I think [mobile shopping] is going to be very successful.

?There?s a significant kick-off for advertising spend and the key thing is to know your goals.?

Mobile integration
National Geographic is working with distributors and integrating QR codes into its mobile initiatives.

The company is also creating products on mobile devices that can be sponsored by its partners.

National Geographic recently launched BlackBerry themes, which they can make exclusive for its sponsors.

?We are melding mobile and social together,? National Geographic?s Ms. Juhl said. ?What we?re trying to do is take it past just building an app and making it a mobile experience across the board.?

The rise of QR codes
Similar to National Geographic, Self is also using QR codes that are featured throughout its editorial.

?It?s an editorial experience first,? Self?s Ms. McEwen said. ?Secondarily, we are making gift guides available to marketers, which they can participate in.

?We?re also creating an app ? it?s the Holidays, Stay Fit with Self Workout app ? and advertisers can be integrated via the content.?

Ms. McEwen also posed a question whether mobile can compete with online in terms of becoming a true opportunity to shop.

?We?re looking at how we can actually transact on the mobile device and how much revenue can be transacted on mobile,? Ms. McEwen said.  

Here are some pictures of the panel