Mobile ad recall increases

In times of economic slowdown, advertisers often turn to direct marketing tools to engage consumers at the expense of branding media. A recent report from Limbo and Gfk Technology appears to show that mobile is becoming many marketers' channel of choice during tough financial times.

by Helen Leggatt

limbo logo.jpg Mobile marketing's high levels of engagement, targeting and cost efficiency are attracting marketers who see it as an effective direct response medium rather than a branding activity. Mobile ads can reach consumers while on the go and prompt them into impulse buys or to visit a store in their locality.

Limbo/Gfk's recently released 'Mobile Advertising Report' reveals that mobile users' awareness of mobile ads is increasing, up 33% in nine months, though mobile phone usage grew just 6%. In Q3, around 4 out of 10 Americans (104 million) recalled seeing mobile ads on their devices.

The most commonly recalled ads are those seen in text messages. Mobile web ad awareness is roughly 50% that of text messaging ads, although it is growing slightly faster, found the survey.

"The latest Mobile Advertising Report shows that US consumers are accelerating their use of the mobile device and advertisers are hot on their tails, using the new medium to reach consumers in pioneering ways," said Colin Strong, head of Mobile Communications Research at GfK Technology.

A surprising result from the survey is that over half of those who recalled seeing mobile ads were aged 35-64 and 28% were over 50, despite mobile penetration being highest among younger age groups. This, commented Rob Lawson, founder of Limbo, could be the 'demographic profile flattening to look more like the population'.

Tags: brand awareness, branding, cost-efficient, direct marketing, Gfk, Limbo, mobile ads, targeting, text message, web mobile