Commentary

Study: Nine In 10 Marketers Going Mobile In 2011

by Mark Walsh , January 31, 2011

Smartphone

The vast majority of marketers--88%--plan to pursue mobile marketing this year, according to a new survey by the Association of National Advertisers in partnership with the MMA. Further, 75% will increase spending on mobile marketing efforts, by an average of 59% compared to a year ago.

The survey found that nearly two-thirds (62%) of advertisers used some form of mobile marketing on behalf of brands in 2010. The study doesn't specify exactly how much marketers plan to spend in mobile this year, but growth rates always look higher starting from a small base.

Patrick Moorhead, mobile lead at Draftfcb, told MediaPost late last year that more client budgets for mobile had increased to the range of $100,000 to $200,000 in 2010, from under $50,000 in 2009. Forrester last week issued a report predicting mobile ad spending will top $1 billion this year.

The main takeaway from the ANA-MMA study would simply be that nearly nine in 10 marketers plan to at least stick a toe in the mobile waters this year.

The five most common types of mobile investments companies are making so far are in mobile Web sites, apps, SMS, display ads and search, according to the new survey. What do brands like about mobile? That it offers portable Web access, the ability to deliver promotions to consumers on-the-go, and convenience for "immediate consumer support/sales." Somehow, that sounds like an oxymoron.

On the down side, marketers cited a familiar list of drawbacks associated with mobile -- including a lack of standard metrics, a lack of understanding about mobile by key executives at the company, and an inability to prove ROI. To date, only 19% of those surveyed say their companies have created a new internal group to manage mobile marketing. Responsibility usually falls to the digital marketing team.

The survey was conducted between September and October 2010. After determining the projected rate of mobile adoption by marketers in 2011, the study asked 97 respondents--all client-side marketers drawn mainly from the ANA's membership--about their experience with, and views on, the emerging medium.

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5 comments about "Study: Nine In 10 Marketers Going Mobile In 2011 ".

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Scott Swanson from Mobile Theory, January 31, 2011 at 3:24 p.m.
great article! :-)
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Andrew Harris from Petrol Advertising, January 31, 2011 at 5:24 p.m.

Thanks for sharing Mark! 88% (adoption) and 75% (increased '11 spend) are great figures to know and glean insights from and help us solidify our POV. I'm interested to see how client mobile spend projections take shape in the coming months. I know we're certainly steering in this direction.

Kurt Johansen from Johansen International, January 31, 2011 at 5:30 p.m.

Yes, mobile marketing is way of the future for marketers and email marketers. Getting the technology right will be the key. Creating emails which can be read on a mobile phone will be so important. Kurt Johansen http://www.kurtjohansen.com Australia's Leading Email Marketing Strategist.

Brad Fowler from Core Digital Marketing, January 31, 2011 at 9:25 p.m.

social media has no standard metrics and yet brands pour millions into it... the metrics available to mobile are much the same as there are online; only yet to evolve is mobile attribution modeling but that's just now coming to fruition in online in the last few years.

Jennifer Del Carlo, February 4, 2011 at 11:57 a.m.

Interesting article and good food for thought. While we all know that mobile marketing is a growing area (there's no stopping it now!), as marketers we need to remember that the medium is just that, it's not the be all and end all. We still need to understand our offering, our target, and make sure the messaging brings those two things together. Too many times I have seen and received messages by mobile that have absolutely no resonance with me. A waste of money and a negative perception created with me.