Published: November 20, 2009

Research and Markets: Mobile Marketing Market Assessment 2009

DUBLIN - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/eb0673/mobile_marketing_m) has announced the addition of the "Mobile Marketing Market Assessment 2009" report to their offering.

'Mobile is typically the glue that can bind together virtually any campaign element.' This comment from Mobile Interactive Group's (MIG's) Head of Mobile Marketing, Tim Dunn, made in response to a question posed by the authors, typifies how the industry sees mobile marketing.

Although mobile marketing has not yet come of age, the first confident steps are being taken and are beginning to be noticed. The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has extended its data collection to include mobile marketing and, with the consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), has published the most dependable estimate of market size to date. For the first time, mobile marketing, the potential of which has been much talked of for years, has reached the bottom rung of the advertising expenditure ladder, with expenditure in 2008 having reached a sufficient level to allow meaningful comparison with other marketing sectors.

Moreover, mobile marketing can be seen to be bucking the trend. While expenditure in almost every other medium is declining, mobile marketing expenditure is growing, albeit from a comparatively small base.

There are several key drivers of growth, not least of which is the fact that the underlying technology is catching up with the need; but more than that, the technology is opening up possibilities that had not even been thought of until relatively recently. As advertisers wake up to the possibilities presented on the Internet by the social networking phenomenon, they are excited by its move to mobile, making this ever-present, ever-on technology even more desirable. Furthermore, with mobile devices becoming like mini-computers, with their own operating systems - as evidenced by the emergence of the iPhone and similar 'smartphones' - there are thousands of downloadable applications available to users and thousands of branding opportunities. Virtual pints of beer and virtual lighters have already been exploited by brands.

Just as mainstream media is dependent on the platform owners (television companies, magazine publishers and so on), so mobile marketing is dependent on network operators and handset manufacturers to provide the delivery channel. The difficulties for marketers lie in the diverse standards used; i.e. there is no uniformity and campaigns have to be tailored according to the limitations of the delivery channel. The industry is working hard to redress this, with industry representatives encouraging co-operation and solutions developers providing products that enable cross-platform adserving (i.e. the delivery of advertising to Web pages).

The mobile phone is ubiquitous - penetration of the UK population exceeds 100% - which should make it almost irresistible to advertisers. However, industry regulations are also in force here and unsolicited text messages are covered by the same rulings as unsolicited e-mails. Customers must agree to receive advertising and they are unlikely to do so unless they receive something in exchange.

In addition, advertisers understand that the way in which mobile phones are used by the different age groups and social grades is not the same, and penetration of mobile broadband is still relatively low. It is highest among the younger age groups and the AB social grades but still accounts for a small percentage of the total market. The relatively high costs of producing a multi-platform mobile video campaign, for example, might not generate the desired return on investment (ROI) when it can only be delivered to a relatively small audience, which can be reached more quickly and at a lower cost using other marketing channels.

Nevertheless, when used as part of a multimedia campaign, mobile marketing has a lot to offer, especially as a direct-response mechanism, and it is here where most growth is likely to lie. Even so, it remains very much the newcomer and, despite some very successful mobile campaigns, many advertisers are still unaware of just what it can offer them.

However, the kind of consolidation offered by the potential merger in the UK between Orange and T-Mobile would provide a rosy future for advertisers as, with fewer operators with which to negotiate, running mobile campaigns would become more straightforward.

This Market Assessment report examines the main aspects of the industry, from network operators and mobile manufacturers to adserving platforms and the marketing agencies that originate the campaigns.

Key Topics Covered: