• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, July 19, 2012

Search marketers running mobile campaigns need insight into how consumers interact with content. The mobile browser company Opera has released findings that show the United States and Canada generate the majority of ad requests, with 73% of the global total. The U.S. eCPM generates the highest value at $1.98, closely followed by the United Kingdom at $1.94. Both top the global average of $1.90.

The State of Mobile Advertising report states that the ad networks with the highest fill rates serving mobile ads tend to have lower eCPM payout rates, while those with high payout rates tend to have low fill rates. High-paying ad networks' eCPM rates fluctuate as much as 370%, while ad networks with lower eCPMs and high fill rates fluctuate at lower levels, but still as much as 43%.

The Apple operating system generates on average a $2.49 eCPM and supports 46.53% of mobile traffic, followed by Android devices at $2.10 and 24.43, respectively, according to Opera's first report released Thursday. J2ME generates $1.01 eCPM; Research in Motion (RIM), 64 cents; Symbian, 59 cents, and Windows, 20 cents.

The report analyzes four categories: device, publisher, ad networks and advertisers. The analysis, based on second-quarter 2012 findings, combines data about more than 9,000 global customers, and 35 billion ad impressions monthly. The company drove more than $240 million in revenue to mobile publishers in 2011.

Search marketers should know that rich media and bigger screens drive engagement because the features allow more interaction between the advertisement and the device’s functions like click-to-call in search and display ads, and the ability to play and watch videos. While Apple iOS this year delivered the clear majority of rich media ad impressions compared with Android devices, HTML, camera interfaces and other rich media interactive features demonstrate a direct correlation to time spent interacting with the ad unit.

Opera's Rich Media Index shows that 66% of users who click through to a video will complete that interaction, with an average time of 52 seconds spent with the media. Photo-taking capabilities show a higher time -- about 1 minute, 25 seconds -- and about half of consumers will continue to interact with the ad after the click, according to the findings.

Surprisingly, Business & Finance came in as the top category at 30.84%, generating more revenue per impression than any other. Games followed with 14.67%; Arts & Entertainment at 13.88%; other, 12.47%; Music, Video & Media, 10.48%; and Sports, 7.23%.