Survey reveals consumers' lack of satisfaction with mobile ads

Millward Brown's AdReaction 2012 Report reveals that consumer attitudes towards mobile marketing are not very positive and marketers have an opportunity to improve how they engage with consumers.

Globally* (.pdf), less than a quarter (23%) of smartphone and 29% of tablet users were found to have a very or somewhat favorable attitude towards mobile ads compared with 36% for online display ads, 47% for newspaper ads and 51% for TV ads.

However, consumer toleration of advertising rises significantly when they are displayed on free mobile websites (68%) and free apps (65%).

In the U.S. (.pdf), just 9% consider mobile advertising very or somewhat favorably, way behind other channels such as opt-in display (28%), online display (22%) and online video (16%). Furthermore, attitudes towards mobile ads have changed very little since 2009 when 7% saw them in a favorable light.

"Despite relatively low favorability at present, there is much room for optimism," says Rakesh Kumar, Chairman of the Global Firefly Millward Brown Board. "Our qualitative findings suggested that consumers genuinely want mobile marketing to succeed. Indeed, it is because consumers have such high expectations of competence, and assumptions of built-in intelligence from mobile marketing, that delivering anything less can lead to negative perceptions."

Attitudes toward mobile ads in emerging marketing, where mobile devices are more central to consumers' lives, were found to be more positive. In Nigeria and Kenya nearly half (48%) had a positive attitude as did India (43%) and South Africa (30%).

*AdReaction 2012 consisted of online surveys of more than 6,000 smartphone or tablet users in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, UK and the U.S. Qualitative research (online forums and depth interviews) was also conducted in China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and U.S.

Tags: advertising, consumer attitudes, global survey, mobile ads, mobile apps, mobile marketing, mobile website, smartphone, tablet