Marketers spend on mobile web ads, in-app ads less so

A new survey conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau reveals that, despite in-app rich media opportunities most marketers are directing ad spend at mobile web display ads.

by Helen Leggatt

Mobile marketing budgets have been on the increase for a couple of years. The IAB's survey of 300 marketing executives found (.pdf) 63% had increased their spending on mobile marketing in the last two years and 72% plan further increases in their mobile investment.

The IAB's survey discovered that mobile web ads were by far the most popular buy. Over three-quarters (77%) of the 300 marketing executives surveyed by the IAB invested in mobile web ads, while 44% purchased ads or sponsorship in apps.

"Mobile web has been around longer, and there's a lot more inventory there than in-app," said Joe Laszlo, deputy director of the IAB's Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, told ClickZ.

"In reality, the amount of in-app inventory out there maybe doesn't quite match marketers' and agencies' desire for it, and mobile web metrics are sometimes a little more robust."

Over half (51%) of marketers already treat mobile platforms as an essential part of their overall ad strategy while 35% say they are "experimenting" with the channel.

Tags: advertising budget, marketing spend, mobile advertising, mobile application, mobile budget, mobile marketing