72% of Brand Marketers ‘Currently Using Mobile’ Plan To Increase Mobile Ad Spending

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.