TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

Local Mobile Advertising To Reach $24 Billion In 2016

Local and mobile have always been linked as a natural pairing, but the promise of that alliance has often outstripped actual ad spending. In a keynote presentation at MediaPost’s Mobile Summit Friday, local media guru Gordon Borrell said local mobile advertising was set for steep growth as dollars increasingly flow to mobile devices. In particular, ad budgets earmarked for the desktop Web will shift to mobile in the next five years, propelling U.S. local mobile ad revenue to shoot up from about $2 billion this year to about $24 billion by 2016.

Agencies Say Spot TV Top Ad Medium of Choice in Q4 ‘11

The top medium of choice for clients in Q4 2011 was spot TV (broadcast and cable), reported by 51% of agencies, according to a survey released in January 2012 by STRATA. Digital was second, cited by 31% of agencies, down 9% from Q3, followed by spot radio (8%). Spot TV (broadcast) continues to be an area of interest, with 28% of those surveyed …Agencies reported mobile advertising during Q4 2011 was up 39%, with the iPhone continuing to be the top choice, cited by 83%.

IMMAP appoints new board directors

MANILA, Philippines – The Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) recently appointed its executive officers and board directors for 2012. The induction of IMMAP’s new directors was led by Tourism  Secretary Mon Jimenez. Manny Fernando, president and CEO of Inquirer Group’s subsidiary MyMegamobile, was named as the IMMAP president. IMMAP is now on its sixth year representing the digital marketing industry.

Mobile marketing poised to grow in Indonesia

The growing mobile penetration in Indonesia coupled with remarkable improvements in mobile technology brings a new opportunity for marketers in the country to attract consumer attention. Mobile marketing is the new area for both marketers and solution providers to grow into. To address the potential and challenges of mobile marketing in Indonesia, Pacific Conferences is organising a two day conference on “Mobile Marketing” that will be held on 23 – 24 February.

Retailers See E-Commerce as Main Digital Platform Across Channels

The vast majority (89%) of retailers with comparable store/channel sales growth of over 4% (”winners”) agree that their e-commerce platform will ultimately serve as the central point of all digital activity across channels, and 94% agree that the future of online commerce lies more with cross-channel or merged channel capabilities, according to [download page] a report released in January 2012 by RSR Research. Those with comparable store/channel sales growth of less than 4% (”laggards”) also agree, but to a lesser extent: 62% see their e-commerce platform as ultimately becoming their digital platform across all channels, and 70% agree that the future of online lies more with cross-channel.

National TV Sports Ad Spend Up 6% in ‘11

National TV sports generated $10.9 billion in advertising expenditure last year, representing 6% growth from $10.3 billion the year prior, according to a Nielsen report released in January 2012. Measuring ad spend during sporting events on network and cable TV from Q4 2010 through Q3 2011, Nielsen found that cable has an increasing share of those ad dollars, growing 37.3% year-over-year. The increase in TV ad spend mirrors a similar increase in the amount of live TV sports

Android Surprises with 39% Share of Tablet Shipments in Q4 2011

Apple may be the dominant headline stealer in the realm of tablet computers, but today Android is taking center stage. Based on the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global tablet shipments reached 27 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. As a result, Android claimed a record 39 percent global share. Pinochio

Worldwide Mobile Phone Market Maintains Its Growth Trajectory in the Fourth Quarter

The worldwide mobile phone market grew 6.1% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2011 (4Q11), as the feature phone market declined faster than anticipated, dragging market growth down to its lowest point in over two years. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped 427.4 million units in 4Q11 compared to 402.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2010. The 6.1% year-over-year growth was higher than IDC’s forecast of 4.4% for the quarter, but weaker than the 9.3% growth in 3Q11.

Majority of Super Bowl Viewers Say TV Ads are Entertainment

73% of Super Bowl viewers say they look at Super Bowl TV commercials as entertainment, by far the leading opinion cited by respondents to an NRF survey conducted by BIGinsight, released in January 2012. The proportion of viewers who say that advertisers should save their money and pass the savings on to them (18.5%) is roughly matched by those who say the ads make them aware of advertiser brands (16.9%). Similarly, although 8.9% complain that the commercials…

Colombia’s mobile internet connections to hit 19 million

Colombia will have 19 million mobile internet connections by 2015, the equivalent of almost one for every two people in the country, reported Colombian weekly Portafolio. The projection is the result of a study released by GSMA, a global organization of mobile phone operators and equipment manufacturers. The report estimates that within three years Latin America will have over 305 million mobile internet connections, mainly laptops, tablet computers and smart phones.

Global mobile entertainment revenues to climb up to $53.9 billion in 2016

A significant growth is expected to hit by storm in the global mobile entertainment market over the next 4 years, according to a market intelligence report headed by IEMR. Report revealed that the mobile entertainment revenue will accelerate in terms of revenue from $53.9 billion, quite higher than last year’s $39.6 billion. The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2012 to 2016 is projected at 6.3%.

Amidst the different categories playing in the mobile entertainment industry, the Mobile Music is predicted to see the biggest growth in revenue with $18 billion by 2016, compared to $9 billion of last year.

Meanwhile, India is taking a lead as the fastest-growing market due to mobile entertainment’s teeming with publishers, distributors, operator competition and relatively less stringent broadcasting regulations. The country’s mobile entertainment market is expected to rise at $1.79 billion in 2016, an impressive climb from $670 million in 2011 (CAGR of 18.2% from 2012 – 2016 period).

Operators and service providers are getting excited to provide value added services across the mobile multimedia value chain in India.

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

Global Mobile Entertainment Market Revenues to Rise to $53.9 billion in 2016, a CAGR of 6.3%, According to New Research

“We think that the global mobile entertainment market will see significant growth over the next five years. Globally, we are expecting mobile entertainment revenue to rise from $39.6 billion in 2011 to $53.9 billion in 2016. Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2012 to 2016 will be 6.3%,” said Nizar Assanie, Vice President (Research) at IEMR. “Among different categories of mobile entertainment, we expect that Mobile Music will see the biggest growth in revenues over the next five years. We forecast that global mobile music revenues will increase from $9 billion in 2011 to $18 billion in 2016.”

Mobile-Ad Spending Projected to Reach $2.61B in 2012

Mobile-ad spending in the U.S. is rising at a much faster clip than previously forecast and is projected to grow 80% this year, to $2.61 billion. A new report by eMarketer estimates that mobile-ad spending reached $1.45 billion in 2011, up from $769.6 million in 2010, and that Google is getting more than half of the pie. The numbers are a significant upward revision from a previous projection that mobile would reach $1.8 billion this year, up from $1.2 billion in 2011.

Why 2012 Is the Year of Mobile Advertising

Mobile advertising is coming of age. In many ways, it has been driven by the sheer force of the consumer’s insatiable appetite for all things mobile. More to the point, mobile is becoming a substantially more capable vehicle for driving brand awareness, affinity and purchases. Advertisers see this pattern taking shape, but there is still a disconnect between the avid mobile consumer and potential advertising dollars. This is caused by several factors…

Venture capital investment in mobile marketing and advertising skyrocketed in 2011: report

Venture capital investments in mobile marketing and advertising grew from $128 million in 2010 to $592 million in 2011, according to a new report from research investment bank Rutberg & Co. Investment levels in mobile commerce and payments companies was also up significantly, growing from $276 million to $558 million during the same period.

Mobile is a must-have for agencies in 2012

Many agencies failed to integrate mobile in a meaningful way in 2011, missing an important opportunity to organically build mobile practices. As a result, this year many will be scrambling to react to the growing demand for mobile services from brands which have seen a significant increase in mobile traffic. The growth in mobile penetration and use means agencies and brands can reach more consumers than ever before via mobile and use mobile to marketer an ever-growing array of products and services.

Nokia tops smartphone sales in India: Report

NEW DELHI: Total mobile handset shipments in India touched nearly 166 million units during the first eleven months of the 2011 calendar year, with Finnish handset maker Nokia accounting for a 30.7 per cent slice of the market, according to a CyberMedia Research report. The overall shipments included 14.4 million feature phones and 1.07 million smartphones, according to the India Monthly Mobile Handsets Market Review for November, 2011, released today by CyberMedia Research.

New Study Reveals 51% Growth in Californians Using Mobile Devices to Access Internet Within the Last Three Years

The number of Californians using their mobile device to access the Internet has significantly increased by 51 percent, to nearly 17.6 million people, in the last three years, according to a new report by the Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER). Of California mobile users surveyed in the first quarter of 2011, 71.3 percent are accessing the Internet or apps using their mobile device. “In just three years, California has experienced a pronounced shift in how we use mobile devices. Just a short time ago, mobile devices were primarily used for phone conversations

US Mobile Market: Mobile Ad Spending to reach $2.61 billion in 2012

The rapid growth of mobile marketing spend in the US is projected to reach up to 80% this year 2012, an equivalent to $2.61 billion, according to eMarketer report. A notable figure of last year disclosed the impressive rise of mobile ad spending at $1.45 billion compared from the $769.6 million in 2010.

Two of the major contributing factors that led such an explosive growth are played by Google and Apple; with the former’s mobile search business and heightened interest in display inventory for both smartphones and tablets, and the latter’s widespread adoption of iPhones amounting to global sales of 37.04 million units in the last quarter of 2011.

“As mobile devices become a remote control for our lives, the more indispensable they become; the more they’re being used for search, to browse the web and use applications, and the more that drives up impressions and overall activity,” eMarketer’s Analyst Noah Elkin said.

Mobile search and display will account a growth this year, to include spending on banner and rich-media ads; and video to rise. However, SMS, MMS, and P2P messaging are seen to drop at 12.2% from 19.6%.

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

Mobile’s use in TV ads to increase in frequency in 2012

With mobile slated to become a bigger part of television watching in 2012, brands and marketers need to think of new ways to incorporate marketing into on-air broadcasts. So what can consumers expect in mobile TV for the coming year? According to experts, mobile calls-to-action will play an increased role in both advertising and programming in 2012. Additionally, new technologies such as augmented reality will play an important part in TV.

Globe most popular in Philippines—Yahoo! Survey

“Accessing the Internet on mobile is rapidly growing across Southeast Asia. By and large we see similar trends across the region in terms of use and access at home, the young demography, affordable handsets and bite-sized prepaid data plans all driving mobile Internet growth,” said David Jeffs, head of Insights for Yahoo! Southeast Asia. “As more Filipinos access the Web via mobile, this will allow telecom companies achieve economies of scale and bring down tariffs, in turn adding further stimulus to mobile Internet growth.”

Mobile Search Trends in Asia Pacific [Study]

Google, Ipsos and the Mobile Marketing Association conducted a large-scale study called Our Mobile Planet in 2011 by asking 30,000 people in 30 countries how they use their smartphones to gain insights about mobile users and their behavior. Here’s a look at mobile search data for 10 of the Asia Pacific countries from the study: Australia, urban China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Coupons Influence Majority of Consumers’ CPG Brand Decisions

Coupons from home heavily influenced brand choice for 55% of consumers in Q4 2011, unchanged from the previous quarter, but representing a 15% rise from 48% in Q1, according to a survey released in January 2012 by SymphonyIRI. Use of newspaper circulars from home proved influential to almost half of consumers, up 14% from 43% in Q1, while use of in-store circulars also gained steam over the course of the year, cited by 44% of consumers as a brand decision influencer in Q4, compared to 36% in Q1. Shopper loyalty card discounts proved influential to 42% of consumers, ahead of signs or displays in the store (30%).

Mobile Shopping Satisfaction Positively Impacts Other Channels

Satisfied mobile customers report being 40% more likely than dissatisfied mobile customers to consider the same company when purchasing from other channels such as a traditional website or store (88% vs. 63%), according to [download page] January 2012 analysis from ForeSee.

Revenue from mobile coupons and vouchers to reach $9bn

Digital coupons represent the fastest growing segment of the coupon industry, and accounted for 10% of all coupons redeemed in 2010, up from 1% in 2006. The market for online coupons is expected to reach $5 billion in 2011, with mobile accounting for just 15% of the overall digital market. However, in a recently published study, ARCchart expects mobile’s share of the digital coupon market to steadily grow over the coming years, generating revenues of $9 billion by 2016.

Africa’s telcos shine

The mobile industry in Africa contributes US$56billion to the regional economy, equivalent to 3.5% of total Gross Domestic Product, and employs some five million people on the continent, says the GSMA Africa Mobile Observatory report. The mobile industry in Africa is booming. With over 620 million mobile connections as of September 2011, Africa has overtaken Latin America to become the second-largest mobile market in the world after Asia, the maiden report on the continent said

Engagement essential for mobile marketing

In Jumptap’s report, users of Google’s Android devices saw twice as many Jumptap mobile ads as did users of Apple’s iOS devices because of Android’s greater market share, but Apple users were more engaged with the ads. What is the marketer takeaway?

It’s Time to Go Mobile – A Guide for Mobile Campaign Success

Mobile advertising is coming of age. With the gradual introduction of sophisticated new technologies, marketers are beginning to track results and manage mobile metrics in ways similar to those used online. Opportunities abound for creating new channels of profitability when based on measurability and accountability. Understanding the unique potential and the proven power of the mobile platform – as well as its limitations, can improve performance and allow mobile advertising to become a significant layer in the marketing mix. These opportunities are not being lost on global marketers. Many are already active in the mobile marketing arena, and many more have either developed, or are currently planning, a mobile strategy.

Mobile browsing in the Philippines goes up

“As more Filipinos access the web via mobile, this will allow telecom companies achieve economies of scale and bring down tariffs, in turn adding further stimulus to mobile Internet growth.” – said David Jeffs, head of Insights for Yahoo Southeast Asia in a story published at Business Mirror.

The Philippines is the sole country in Southeast Asia where a greater proportion of mobile internet users are comprised of women (57%) versus men (43%), according to annual survey, Yahoo! Net Index 2011. The demographic report has disclosed that the growing mobile internet activity came from the country’s youth segment.

Meanwhile, the country’s Globe Telecom is reported the most popular service provider for mobile browsing in the country with revenues rose to over P1.4 billion by end of third quarter last year. Accordingly, Globe hopes to keep its mobile data business growing amidst the fast penetration of social media in the region and the availability of affordable Smartphones in the market.

Asked about the behavior of mobile browsing activity in the country, Globe Exec affirmed that telco industry feels the increasing demand of mobile internet in the region, saying it is an “easier and more accessible way of connecting to the worldwide web”.

Implication to business sector

The present percentage of mobile browsing behavior among mobile users in the Philippines, based from Yahoo’s report, strongly indicates that brands and business firms in the region will have an opportunity to expand their reach to the Filipino consumers. Such a strong response to mobile internet (mobile browsing) suggests that Filipinos are getting matured and open-minded when it comes to new technologies like mobile, Smartphone, or tablet entering the country.

While a few of Asian countries like China, Singapore, and Indonesia, have adopted into mobile advertising practices, it is no far that Philippines too will get accustomed to these mobile tactics. In fact, the mobile medium is practically a perfect advertising mix because of its flexibility, real time connectivity, and handy in nature. Wherever they may go and regardless of time, people always have the mobile devices in hand.

How ready is the industry for mobile web?

In the Philippines, mobile advertising is guided by the Internet Marketing and Mobile Association in the Philippines (IMMAP), which has set some ethical standards and guidelines to ensure that best practices are observed in the region. Every now and then, IMMAP holds conferences to educate and update the business sector about mobile marketing/advertising or with the latest technology that digital marketers need to address. In the country, although Telco services are available offering mobile browsing to Filipino consumers, the demand for mobile site development, on other hand, has never been a hindrance with the presence of technology providers that offer services for the creation of mobile websites and for the execution of interactive campaigns.

Metrics too are made available to provide advertisers the comprehensive data which can be helpful to determine the results of the campaign. With the industry ready, technology providers well-equipped with tools and sufficient knowledge, and business firms and brands embracing to mobile advertising, the Philippines will soon be part of the interactive phenomena where digital, online, traditional, or outdoor campaign can be monitored and measured based on data statistics. Advertiser will be able to see the whole picture of his campaign’s performance, and based on results, he can determine whether or not the campaign has achieved its primary objectives.

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

Mobile carriers remove gloves in TV ads battle

Mobile carriers are increasing advertising as part of the fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) war in a market expected to see over 10 million subscriptions this year. The commercials, however, are often criticizing and attacking rival firms. LG Uplus has launched a newspaper advertisement for its LTE service. The two-page spread features two attractive women on the first page. On the next page, one remains good looking symbolizing LG but the other woman appears unattractive having deceived people with her looks, standing for SK Telecom.

Smartphones Turn Millions More Americans into Mobile Shoppers

In 2011, US mobile commerce sales (including travel) surged 91.4%, to reach $6.7 billion. Continued strong growth will boost sales to $31 billion in 2015. More smartphone users, greater consumer comfort with mobile shopping and an increasing number of retailers launching mobile sites and apps will all play a part in propelling m-commerce sales.

5 lessons to apply when launching a mobile site or campaign

I have summarized what I have learned into five lessons which can be applied to any mobile marketer: Lesson #1: Users have high expectations: At minimum, you should aim to meet these lofty expectations. A recent Harris survey revealed that 80 percent of adults who conducted a mobile transaction in the past year said that they expect the experience to be better than or equal to in-store. What is more, 85 percent expect the mobile experience to be better than or equal to the experience provided through the desktop Web.

Samsung targets world domination after 73% profit rise

Asia’s largest consumer-electronics company, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, reported its operating profit increased 73% to 5.2 trillion won ($4.5 billion) in the three months ended December 2011, Suwon, the Samsung-dominated South Korean city, said in a statement on Friday. That beat all the 29-analyst estimation compiled by Bloomberg. Samsung is (recently outstripped Apple) the world’s no.1 smartphone manufacturer, and is expected to surpass Nokia this year as the biggest overall mobile phone producer.

What the growth of Android means for marketers

With all the talk and predictions about the mobile advertising market swirling around during Ad Week, and the recent numbers released by Gartner about smartphone sales, there’s no question in the minds of marketers that it’s an exciting time to be in mobile advertising right now. Last year provided a new realm of opportunity with the shipping of 305 million smartphones. And more than 472 million smartphones are expected to ship by the end of 2011 — a 55 percent increase over 2010. It’s an understatement to say the market is showing phenomenal growth.

Launching a Mobile Marketing Campaign: Easier Than You Think

With the number of smartphone owners only expected to grow, small business owners need to take advantage of their adverting and marketing potential. But harnessing the advertising opportunities on these burgeoning devices can be difficult for small business owners. From sending text advertisements to optimizing a website for an on-the-go audience, mobile marketing has its own set of challenges separate from online advertising.

Global tablet PC market hits 15.5 million shipments in Q3 2011

The consumer tablet market hit a global high of 15.5 million units shipped in Q3 2011 climbing from 4.5 million in Q3 2010, according to the latest Tablet Tracking report from Futuresource Consulting. Exploring the ownership and uptake of tablet devices across the USA, Europe and Japan, the latest report in Futuresource’s Tablet Tracking Service quantifies the industry position for Q3 2011, highlighting market movements and trends, as well as providing forecasts for Q4 2011 through to 2015.

Mobile ads will become the key monetisation model

By now, it is clear to everyone that mobile technology is infiltrating every possible aspect of our lives including music, health, shopping, life-style and the list goes on. Mobile is everywhere.  If you take a step back and watch the developments of the mobile space from a bird’s eye view, you might notice that in many ways it is following the lead of web advertising, which became the primary way to monetise websites long ago.

Study: Half of tablet/smartphone users put up with mobile advertising

Nielsen’s State of the Media report for 2011 has found that 51% of mobile users are prepared to watch adverts for free content, and also discovered that most mobile consumers have 33 apps installed on their device. The report evaluated what kind of apps smartphone and tablet users have downloaded, including both free and paid-for applications and across a range of different categories. Unsurprisingly, only a small percentage of these users downloaded only paid-for apps, with the majority opting for free apps, or a mixture of free and paid-for apps.

Mobile advertisements likely to grow by leaps and bounds

Dubai: At some time or other, just about every mobile user in these markets has had his or her personal space invaded by an uninvited ad on their phone screens. Telecom operators have fought back by erecting barriers — and imposing penalties — on advertisers who want to “push” such messages to their often unreceptive audiences. Despite this, mobile ads — and their makers — are not about to wilt and disappear. If anything, they are going to get savvier about it. “There have been occasions of agencies putting the cart before the horse… in which case the idea simply doesn’t work,” said Sebastien Marteau, vice-president in charge of the mobile division at Intigral, which specialises in digital content.

Five strategic tips to make mobile work for you in 2012

Mobile is along just enough in its life cycle where it can aid in gaining or sustaining a serious competitive advantage for any sized business. And, tactics and technologies that remove traditional barriers to content publishing and distribution are finally accessible to the masses. Assuming you have finally convinced, or are in the process of convincing, management to commit to a mobile strategy and budget of some kind, be prepared to clearly answer, “Now what?” closely followed by, “What have you done for me lately?”

 

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

What the ad industry learnt from 2011 and how they foresee 2012

Years come and go but each year leaves behind its own learnings. 2011 was no different. Ad industry leaders share the lessons that they learnt and how they foresee the shape of things in 2012. Whenever a year draws to a close, it is not just about a new beginning but also about retrospection. The idea is to assess what could have been done differently, gather one’s forces anew and make a fresh…

How prepared is your advertising agency for 2012?

December has been a month of conversations, trying to make sense of the year ahead for advertising, media, digital and PR agencies. As the stock market gets hammered, as the anti-corruption movement ebbs and flows, and as the government is semi-paralysed, what will 2012 hold for all? In a nutshell, it’s not going to be an easy year – but there are still those who will gain and those who will hold their own. Here’s the year ahead, in

Analytics: The brains behind mobile marketing success

Mobile analytics in action. Look at a retailer such as Dick’s Sporting Goods that wants to drive in-store traffic and promote new merchandise. Knowing that someone works just a few blocks away and is headed out for his lunch break allows a carrier to deliver relevant messaging directly to the device, marrying mobile data that it has with point-of-sale data that the store has on a customer’s brand preferences.

Pre-Roll, Mobile Top Video Ad Formats for 2012

Online video has reached critical mass among US internet viewers. eMarketer predicts 169 million people, or 71% of US internet users, will be watching online video each month by the end of 2012. Such a healthy, sizeable audience can’t help but capture advertiser attention. eMarketer estimates US online video ad spending (not all of which is placed against video) will enjoy an aggressive 40% year-over-year increase from 2011, topping $3.1 billion in 2012.

2012 Forecast: Mobile Marketing

Having been involved in the mobile and advertising industries for over two decades, I can say with confidence that 2011 was a banner year for the discipline. Over the past year, consumers have proven that the mobile phone has become an integral part of the shopping experience. This is creating a number of exciting new opportunities for marketers to reach consumers at multiple touchpoints throughout the buying process.

Advertising legend MAURICE SAATCHI celebrates the joy of simple ideas that changed the world

The ideas that have changed our lives most are often the simplest. Simple ideas enter the brain more quickly and stay there longer.  Winston Churchill was a great believer in simplicity. He liked to quote a letter by French mathematician Blaise Pascal that started: ‘I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.’ He knew that to achieve simplicity is very hard.

Mobile carriers: Five predictions for 2012

The biggest news for 2011 in this sector was AT&T’s $39 billion bid to buy T-Mobile. And when the deal was announced in March, AT&T seemed confident it could make it happen. So confident in fact, that it agreed to one of the biggest break-up fees ever. But as we all now know, regulators didn’t like AT&T’s plan and put a kibosh on its plans.

Samsung dominates mobile phone market

Samsung accounted for 25.6 percent of U.S. mobile handsets for three months ending November 11, according to research by ComScore. This translates into a slight market share increase of 0.3 percent. Apple came in fourth place behind LG and Motorola with 11.2 percent market share, though it gained the most market share over the period, increasing by 1.4 percent.

Mobile Marketing’s Crystal Ball: Predicting Trends for 2012

The past year has been a big one for smartphones and other mobile devices. In addition to achieving widespread adoption among U.S. consumers, the tools have transformed the way people shop, get information and interact with friends, family and brands. In a column for Search Engine Land, Matt Lawson predicts that mobile will undergo even more changes and developments in 2012. Mobile marketing is becoming a bigger focus in many ad agencies and is taking up a larger proportion of overall advertising budgets, yet it also creates many challenges for those in the industry, he notes.

ComScore: Android, iOS combine for 75% of U.S. smartphone market

Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android and Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS extended their dominance over the U.S. mobile market in November 2011 and now power a combined 75.6 percent of all smartphones nationwide according to new data published by digital research firm comScore.

Six Steps To Mobile Search Marketing Success

ADOTAS – Tablet and smart phone devices have forever changed the search marketing landscape, as the year of mobile has finally happened. Tablet sales were up 260 percent year-on-year during the first three quarters of 2011, according to PC World magazine, while IDC projected sales of more than 63 million tablets, including the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble’s Nook, in the fourth quarter. This technology shift is altering consumer search behavior and requires a different approach to marketing.

Nigeria to become dominant in Africa’s mobile payment market

With the commencement of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) cashless project, Nigeria is set to become a dominant player in Africa’s emerging mobile payments market, analysts have said. According to the industry analysts, about 20 million Nigerians are expected to be embraced into the formal banking system via mobile money over the next three years. In November, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) had disclosed that 40 million mobile money users currently exist in Africa.

TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business


2012 Trends to Watch: Marketing

As customers increasingly embrace multichannel interactions, marketers will collaborate more across formerly siloed teams to ensure a consistent customer experience regardless of communication, device, or touchpoint. 2011 was a year of collaboration in marketing. Marketers worked more closely with their sales counterparts, partnered with IT to harness new technologies for customer engagement, and even joined forces across marketing silos to improve the multichannel customer experience.

Why Marketers May Finally Get on the Mobile Advertising Boat

While print media represents only 8% of consumer time spent, it accounts for 27% of marketers’ media spending. Mobile media, on the other hand, represents 8% of consume time, yet only .5% of marketers’ media spending. Why the disparity? I believe there are three reasons: 1) Mobile advertising has yet to show scalable reach that has a demonstrable ROI. The reach of print advertising is clearly known, and the way consumers interact with print ads has been well researched for decades.

Mobile Advertising and Marketing – 5th Edition: Mobile advertising to grow 15.2%

There are close to 6 billion active mobile subscriptions across the globe, which can be compared with about 2 billion Internet users. This underpins the vast potential of the mobile channel for advertising and marketing, being highly important for brands seeking to engage in communication with present and potential customers. Berg Insight estimates that the total value of the global mobile marketing and advertising market was € 2.61 billion in 2010, having experienced healthy growth throughout the financial crisis and the following recuperation. Growing at a compound annual growth rate of 36.9 percent, the market is forecasted to be worth € 17.2 billion in 2016 – corresponding to 15.2 percent of the total digital advertising market. Mobile advertising is at the same time predicted to account for 3.8 percent of the total global ad spend for all media.

US mobile ad expenditure more than doubles to $2.1 billion in 2011, Google dominates, according to IDC

According to estimates by IDC, US $2.1 billion was spent on mobile advertising in the US in 2011. That’s more than double the expenditure in 2010. The split between mobile search and mobile display advertising spend is roughly 70:30. This is part of the reason that IDC attributes a massive 70 percent market share to Google (IDC describes Google as a “near monopoly” in search), but IDC believes Google is the market leader in display advertising in the US also. No other rival mobile ad network has more than 5 percent market share. Number two to six are Millennial Media, Apple, Yahoo!, Microsoft and Jumptap. All other networks have less than 1 percent share of the US market.

Trends for 2012: Asia-Pacific

India’s mobile market will take its first steps toward long-overdue consolidation. The market is much too crowded, with 17 mobile licensees, leading to extreme price competition and erosion of margins. The regulator’s intention to reduce SMS interconnection and roaming charges might be the final catalyst driving consolidation. Pyramid Research has found that large and small markets alike tend toward a three-to-four nationwide operator competitive environment. We expect initial consolidation to take place between 3G and non-3G license holders or for operators to seek alliances to achieve nationwide coverage.

Emotional Connections Key to 2011’s Best-Liked TV Ads

The best-liked new TV ads of 2011 reflected the value of traditional ad elements such as strong creative, simple and engaging messaging, and a solid emotional connection, according to December 2011 analysis from Nielsen. The most-liked ad, with a “likeability” index of 231, was a Super Bowl spot for Volkswagen’s Passat, in which a boy dressed as Darth Vader believes he used “the force” to turn on a car. The index score of 231 means that among viewers, Volkswagen’s ad proved to be 131% better-liked than the average new commercial during the January 1 – November 30 period.

Branding Time: Are Marketers Missing the Moment?

Do you know where your customers are? Data, networks, and content are becoming more and more intertwined. As the number of screens people have in their lives continues to grow, and new platforms and services ask people to take new actions in their daily lives, there are heightened demands on all of us. It seems that life in the networked world is, in many ways, far more complex than what many futurists — assuming that technology would simplify things for us — had imagined for the year 2011.

How data will impact 2012 for brands, merchants

The recognition of the value of data and its role in driving effectiveness. We are beginning to see increasing moves to bring offline data into the online arena, as this type of data is trusted and has long been the backbone of delivering traditional offline marketing campaigns. This move towards amalgamation is especially evident from the larger brands, who want to use these same audience definitions to deliver their online activity. For them it gives them the confidence they are reaching exactly the same audience on and offline, fostering real multi-channel marketing.

Ad campaigns to increasingly target mobile devices

Mobile marketing is ranked among the top 5 media channels to acquire the increased marketing budgets from senior marketers in Australia. This impressive data came out after 365 senior marketing professionals were inquired about their predictions on marketing budgets for next year, in a recent annual survey conducted by the Australian Marketing Institute.

Campaigns aimed at the smaller screens of mobile phones or tablets will be expected to getting the biggest growth from organizations with smaller turnovers, retailers, non-profits, and professional services.

The survey is said to showing the potential of mobile marketing in the region, but emphasis regarding to medium’s usage shall be dealt carefully, it being seen as a highly personalized medium.

Meanwhile, the use of social media, online advertising, and direct marketing also continues to surge with 77% of marketers saying they’d increased their usage on said channels 3 years ago.