RIM is preparing a series of marketing campaigns for 2012 with partners including mobile operators to promote NFC-based mobile payment systems. According to UK publication Marketing Week, the BlackBerry maker will run “educational” campaigns that are designed to enthuse consumers and businesses about the benefits of using NFC technology. Tim Hodkinson, parent company RIM’s EMEA director of enterprise marketing, told the magazine that the company will run “cobranded activity” with mobile operators “communicating how NFC can be used for things like payments and advertising”. Another partner for RIM’s campaign will be MasterCard.

RIM and MasterCard are also working jointly on a NFC-based service in the United Arab Emirates with local operator Etisalat.

Meanwhile rival handset vendor Nokia will this week launch a marketing campaign to educate users in the kingdom about NFC. Users with NFC-enabled N9 handsets from Nokia can tap their handsets against movie posters to win free tickets and refreshments. The initiative is part of the vendor’s Open NFC campaign which it is running in the region. Its emphasis is on using the wireless technology for content sharing or launching services (such as movie posters). Mobile payments-based services are due to follow the education phase and are planned for the first half of 2012, says the vendor.