• Brandweek, Tuesday, January 9, 2007 12 PM

With consumer acceptance of advertising on cell phones continuing its slow growth and brand marketers creating a "mobile" line item in their ad budgets, mobile marketing in the United States is expected to explode, from $46 million last year to $1.3 billion by 2010.

It's not hard to see the attraction for marketers. Cell phones are everywhere; nearly three quarters of adults have one. And the most active users are college kids and affluent business travelers, two of the most highly sought-after demographic groups.

Cell phone evolution is also behind the growth. In the past month, Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless joined Sprint Nextel in permitting banner ads on their landing pages, or "decks" (akin to AOL's Web pages of old.) With that obstacle cleared, and a community of 200 million people carrying cell phones, marketers are salivating over the possibilities.

Said mobile-marketing guru John Hadl, creator of Procter & Gamble's Mobile Ad Lab, which will roll out 35 mobile-based programs during the next nine months. "We know the Internet is an impactful channel for brand marketers. The mobile phone promises to deliver many of the same benefits and results."

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