A new survey by the Interactive Advertising Bureau confirms that mobile advertising platforms are being adopted rapidly by marketers. The most striking data: 72% (nearly three-quarters) of survey respondents are looking to increase their mobile advertising budget over the next two years, and 35% expect to increase mobile ad spending by over 50 percent in that same timeframe.
The study – entitled “Marketer Perspectives on Mobile Advertising” – surveyed over 300 top brand marketing executives “currently using mobile in their media mix.” Of those:
- just over half (51%) currently ‘treat mobile platforms as an integral element of their overall advertising strategy’
- 35% are ‘experimenting’ with mobile
- 14% are tapping into mobile on an ad-hoc basis
Respondents felt the following were key benefits of mobile advertising:
- Immediacy (considered of high importance by 57% of respondents)
- Cost-effectiveness (54%)
- Increased engagement (52%)
When asked which mobile devices are most important in current campaigns, respondents chose:
- Smartphones (a high priority for 60% of respondents – twice as important as any other device)
- Tablets (31%)
- Feature phones (22%)
- Ebooks (10%)
- Connected games consoles (3%)
Respondents were also asked what challenges they faced attempting to incorporate mobile into their campaigns. The main issues:
- Device fragmentation (cited by 72% of respondents as a challenge of medium or high importance)
- Privacy issues (70%)
- Lack of standardized metrics (69%)
- Limited opportunity for creative (60%)**
**The study revealed that 62% of respondents do not use creative agencies for mobile advertising, but of those few that do use creative agencies for mobile, 85% felt the partnership produced ‘good results.’
The survey was conducted by Ovum Consulting in April-June 2011 on behalf of IAB. Interviews were conducted with key marketer decision makers and budget holders.
