With the recently launched Mobile Marketing Research Association now in full swing, professional standards and ethics on the use of mobile devices for marketing purposes will now be defined with greater specificity.

The MMRA is a global trade association developed to establish mobile research guidelines, as well as define the best practices for growth in mobile marketing, identify areas that need extra attention, provide quality education and change the way clients, researchers and participants view the mobile marketing research channel.

"We are building a collaborative organization that is focused on understanding and sharing best practices for mobile as, together, we push the industry forward," said Andy Dybvig, manager of mobile research for General Mills. "There are so many opportunities with mobile, many that have yet to be discovered, and that is what will make being on the leading edge of this so much fun."

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are changing the way businesses shape their marketing schemes, which is why it is so important for those seeking a marketing degree to be aware of the power of mobile marketing.

"While we have created an initial foundation of what works and what doesn't when it comes to mobile data collection and research, we still need to develop well-tested standards and guidelines that can be applied industry-wide," said Justin Bailey, a mobile device analyst for Nielsen and a board member for the MMRA.

The formation of the MMRA comes at a great time, with the InMobi Mobile Market 2011 Review showing 488 percent growth in global mobile impressions throughout the past year. These results show business degree-seekers that mobile marketing is becoming increasingly important.

In-app ads were one of the main drivers for such extensive growth in the mobile advertisement industry, especially with the increased use of tablets, which is expected to grow even more in 2012.

"Mobile technologies have empowered the development of the media and advertising market and pushed consumer acceptance of media consumption through emerging channels," said James Lamberti, vice president of global research and marketing for InMobi.

While mobile ad impressions grew in the past year, the Android operating system was a main factor, showing 21 percent of the in Mobi network ad impressions through its operating system, while iOS users accounted for 17 percent of impressions.