Mobile devices are used not only to talk and text, but also to go online, check email, use social networks, and play games. All of this is well known, and marketers are trying to determine the best way to advertise to consumers within this experience.
In its global 2013 Digital Marketers Report, Experian collected data related to how both consumers and marketers feel about mobile ads, and found that consumers are more likely to respond well to mobile advertisements than they were four years ago.
According to data from Experian Marketing Services’ Simmons Connect mobile panel, 58% of US smartphone owners who view mobile ads found that messages with coupons or special offers were useful. This was up from 33% who said the same thing in 2009. Other useful mobile ad types include messages sent from businesses with permission (54%, up from 32%) and messages for sales and promotions (49%, up from 27%). Consumers found banner or pop-up ads in the mobile web browser to be the least useful, with only 17% saying they thought so, up from 11% in 2009.
When it comes to the marketing side of things, Experian predicts that, globally, more than 50% of marketing budgets will be related to mobile by 2018, and that mobile marketing tactics will be more integrated with overall communications and advertising.
In a study of Australian marketers, Experian found that mobile-optimized websites and m-commerce were the most effective tactics for mobile marketing. Australia, in particular, is a smartphone-heavy market, with sales of smartphones surpassing sales of PCs in 2010, which happened globally in 2011.
Of those Australian marketers, who represent a variety of industries, 98% said mobile-optimized sites were very effective or effective, and 100% of marketers highlighted the effectiveness of m-commerce. Custom apps were found to be the least effective mobile marketing tactic, with 23% of marketers reporting that they were not effective.
Additionally, looking at their most recent mobile marketing campaigns, 51% of Australian marketers told Experian that the campaign was effective, and 9% reported the most recent mobile campaign was very effective. With data on effectiveness of campaigns, and usefulness for consumers, companies can determine how to capitalize on mobile usage with marketing and advertising methods.
