• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, October 8, 2009

Audience measurement and research firm comScore has extended its Plan Metrix media planning tool to the mobile realm, the company announced Thursday.

The new comScore Plan Matrix Mobile service will combine mobile usage and device ownership data with survey information on consumers' lifestyles, interests, attitudes and product preferences to help marketers and agencies better target mobile campaigns.

"With more than one-third of mobile users actively engaging with digital content on their phones, it is increasingly important for media planners to understand more sophisticated audience characteristics to effectively reach consumers on their mobile devices," said Evan Neufeld, vice president and senior analyst of mobile for comScore, in a statement.

That means giving media buyers the tools to tailor mobile campaigns according to particular demographic and psychographic requirements. Specifically, the mobile version of Plan Metrix will provide data on audience behavior across 18 different consumer segments including demographics, traditional media consumption, telecom usage, and electronics and computers, among other categories.

It also offers insight on mobile device ownership in nine categories: cell phone brand, operator, price, length of current subscription, mobile phone use, length of handset ownership, monthly payment tier, payment option, and type of additional plan.

Plan Metrix Mobile further includes information on mobile content consumption, with reporting by category, subcategory and individual brand level. The overarching goal is to bring the same type of planning capability to mobile campaigns that agencies are already accustomed to online. That in turn could encourage increased mobile advertising.

"We need third-party planning tools that comprehensively cover as much of the available inventory and positions as online tools do," said Eric Bader, managing partner at mobile agency Brand in Hand. "It's one of the things the mobile industry has been waiting for." (Along with a standard, third-party ad-serving system.)

With education still viewed as a key step to expanding mobile marketing, the Interactive Advertising Bureau in July released a primer on mobile media buying for advertisers and agencies. The IAB's Mobile Buyer's Guide provides an overview of the mobile ecosystem, definitions of key mobile ad terms, and examples of mobile ad campaigns.

Forrester Research has projected mobile advertising to grow 70% this year to $391 million -- still a tiny slice of the $25.6 billion in total interactive marketing spend it predicts for 2009.