Commentary

It's About Time Somebody Actually Started Tracking Real Mobile Ad Spending

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Speculation about the size and growth rate of the mobile ad market has inspired reams of research reports in recent years, with projections all over the map. Much of the information about actual mobile advertising to data has been anecdotal, based on what major brands and agencies indicate about the size of mobile ad budgets and the proportion of digital spending earmarked for mobile.

But with so much hype and breathless expectation surrounding mobile advertising, especially with Apple entering the fray, wouldn't it make sense to have some kind of ongoing tracking of what's actual being spent in the category? Toward that end, the IAB says it plans to start including mobile the its half- and full-year reports on online ad spending it produces with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

"We believe we are very close on mobile and you should see it very soon," said Marla Aaron, marketing communications director for the IAB, without specifying exactly when mobile ad dollars would be broken out in its reports. She pointed out that the trade group only recently began providing information on digital video ad spending.

U.S. mobile advertising is still measured in the hundreds of millions but is expected to grow rapidly from a small base in the coming years. Gartner has forecast worldwide mobile ad spending to reach $13 billion by 2013.

With the IAB already providing the benchmark for online advertising, adding mobile is a natural extension of its tracking, based mainly on a Pricewaterhouse survey of Web publishers and other online ad sellers including ad networks and email providers. To what extent the IAB would break out mobile spending, such as mobile Web versus in-app advertising, or by device, isn't clear. But to start getting some numbers based on something more than educated guesswork would be a step in the right direction. And perhaps a reality check.

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