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If there's one fact that clearly emerges from this year’s Canadian New Media Awards (CNMA), it is that mobile device marketing is now seriously vying with traditional media sources for advertising dollars.

Phones may have tiny screens, but they’re definitely starting to grab the attention of big brands.

Air Canada, Coors Light, Doritos and MTV are just a few of the recognizable brand names that pop out of the finalists' list in 19 different categories for the upcoming Dec. 1 Awards show in Toronto.

Behind those brands are the mobile developers designing iPhone applications, Web sites, and SMS campaigns that deliver interactive advertising.

Related: SMS success - Toronto fast-food chain sends burger lovers a message

Hosted by Nextmedia Toronto, this year’s nominees represent a breakthrough moment for the mobile industry, says CNMA chair and founder Adam Froman

“The brands have finally embraced the reality that this is a legitimate medium garnering the budgets and investment required to really retail to an audience,” he says. “A lot of marketers have realized you have to focus on the habits and behaviour of your customer.”

Since its first year in 1999, the awards show has evolved from a showcase for a few Canadians innovating interactive media, Froman adds. Now it is more about how new media is applied in new and interesting ways.

“The technology, in itself, is irrelevant,” he says.

Toronto-based MyThum Interactive Inc. garnered two of three nominations in the Best in Mobile Marketing category. One for its Coors Light “Colder Than” iPhone application, and another for its mobile integration of the Rogers MTV Leak Live Tour.

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