LOS ANGELES -- Ad sales representatives, like marketers, are creatures of habit. Used to selling what works, internal education is necessary for brands to get clients on board with mobile advertising.

In the absence of complete metrics and CPM rates that brands typically need in the Internet world, to sell the mobile channel advertisers must rely on the value of cross-platform integration more than clear-cut ROI, said Amy Lorbati, vice president of partnerships and advertising strategy at Fox and panelist at the Mobile Marketing Forum.

"If you talk about a $10,000 CPM you're not going to get that deal," Ms. Lorbati said at the show last week. "There's a lot of education necessary for advertisers and internally within our own companies."

Panelists from Fox , Playboy Enterprises Inc. and Univision Communications Inc. agreed that the mobile channel can be successfully optimized for brands that understand the importance of ubiquity and delivery according to user expectations.

Education on how to integrate mobile as a component of a larger campaign is key for marketers, per the panel.

"Some advertisers come in and do mobile as a checkbox," said Chris Brunner, vice president of Univision, Los Angeles. "They have to be willing to do a short code and call to action, integrate mobile WAP and, most critical, CRM database."

Univision's mobile marketing initiatives began with non-premium, ad-supported content via its WAP site powered by the Quattro Wireless GetMobile platform. The site offers content such as Latin music, news and other Spanish-language content. But the company has found most of its success on the mobile channel with SMS sweepstakes.

Playboy playbook
As a publisher of adult content for print media with divisions in television, radio and the Internet, Playboy has taken an active yet parsimonious approach to the mobile channel.

"We need to have content that's specific for the device, but it also has to make financial sense," said Chris Petrovic, vice president of digital media at Playboy, Chicago.

Playboy's mobile site is an adaptation of its Web content. Also enabled by the Quattro Wireless GetMobile platform, users of the Playboy mobile site can view non-nude photos of Playboy playmates, read their personal interviews and access other content, such as advice columns, music and games.

"If we do a photo shoot, we'll also have a videographer there doing things specifically for mobile," Mr. Petrovic said.

The Playboy mobile site features advertisers such as Axe Vice body spray and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment that are interested in reaching the brand's young male audience,

Streams dreams
Fox also adapted its existing content for the mobile channel. Its mobisodes were sponsored by marketers such as Toyota and MasterCard. These short video previews offered users a sneak peek into future episodes of Fox's most successful programming, such as the 24 and Prison Break TV shows.

But prices for mobile video advertising continue to be inflated as the number of streams has not caught up to the cost of production, Ms. Lorbati said.

For now, the investment may be feasible only for companies that can endure the production costs. But forecasts show signs of change. Brands and marketers alike can expect many phones built for viewing in 2008 with enhancements in Windows Mobile and the new Android operating system coming on the heels of Apple's release of the iPhone earlier this year.

"At the end of the day, it's not going to be made for mobile, it's going to be made for Internet," Mr. Petrovic said. "The iPhones of the world are going to be the next generation. You'll have to optimize for mobile but you won't need separate production costs."