Marketers moving money into mobile marketing

A couple of new surveys reveal that spending on mobile marketing is expected to rise over the next few years, particularly across major UK brands, as marketers welcome its cost-effectiveness and targeting capabilities.

by Helen Leggatt

According to a survey of 115 UK advertisers, agencies, planners and creatives by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) Mobile Council, 62% believe spending on mobile marketing will rise by as soon as 2010.

Jim Cook, chair of the IAB Mobile Council, pointed out the need for better understanding of the channel. "Expectations for mobile advertising are high but actual understanding is low. The industry needs to address measurement, effectiveness and benchmarks if mobile advertising is going to reach a tipping point by 2010."

In another study, this time by Vanson Bourne and sponsored by O2, it was found that some of the biggest brands in the UK plan to increase expenditure on mobile marketing by as much as threefold over the next five years.

"In today's economic climate, mobile is proving to be a cost effective, targeted way for businesses to interact with exactly the people they want, from sending a text reminder to alert a customer to an overdrawn bank account to confirming a delivery via SMS," said Simon Dean, Head of Mobile Media, O2 UK.

Tags: benchmarks, expenditure, IAB, mobile advertising, mobile marketing, SMS, text