• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, November 23, 2011

According to the Q3 S.M.A.R.T.™ report, an in-depth look at the mobile advertising landscape, brands are spending more, and trying a variety of things to drive campaign success. Local market targeting grew 50% quarter-over-quarter, and certain “post-click” options like the ability to watch video, grew 78% quarter-over-quarter. In addition, 6 different verticals grew over 140% year-over-year.

Some other highlights from the report include:

• Finance was the top US advertising vertical on our network. Entertainment and Retail/Restaurants were in the second and third spots, respectively.
• Entertainment was the top International advertising vertical on our network.
• Campaigns that allowed consumers to view a map grew 27% quarter-over-quarter. As advertisers continued to reach local consumers, the “view map” option was used to drive them into physical locations.
• When consumers used their mobile phones while shopping in Q3, the top activity was to search for particular items to try and find a better price. The second most popular activity was to read product reviews.
• mCommerce campaigns experienced a 17% growth quarter-over-quarter.

Four out of the six verticals featured in the Vertical Explosion have previously been on the Top 10 Advertising Vertical Ranking.

The Technology vertical experienced explosive growth of 687% year-over-year, demonstrating strong vertical growth outside the Top 10 Advertising Vertical Rankings. This is an indication that more advertisers are growing their investment in mobile advertising.

The Finance vertical took over the number one position on the Top 10 U.S. and International Advertising Vertical Rankings In Q3. Banking advertisers ran campaigns to raise the awareness of their products and services while insurance and credit card brands heavily utilized mobile for generating leads.

Entertainment ranked in the number two (U.S.) spot on the Top 10 Advertising Vertical Rankings. In Q3, advertisers in the Entertainment vertical leveraged mobile to create awareness of summer blockbuster movies and DVD releases as well as promoting upcoming TV series premieres.

CPG ranked in the number five spot. CPG advertisers leveraged mobile to drive product use by providing recipes and product usage tips. CPG brands also used mobile to engage customers through gaming or social media campaigns.

The top campaign goal in Q3 was sustained-in-market presence, representing 34% of the Advertisers’ Campaign Goal Mix, up 21% quarter-over-quarter. Brands with the goal of Sustained-In-Market Presence drove consumers to social media sites to download applications and to play branded games as a strategy to engage customers and increase brand loyalty.

Q3 2011 Digital Consumer Portrait identified how Smartphone owners plan to utilize their mobile phones during the holiday shopping season while inside of retail outlets. This study revealed 32% of consumers plan to use their mobile

devices to help research products by comparison shopping

and 27% are using mobile devices to read reviews while in the store. Primarily, holiday shoppers are planning to use their mobile device as a research tool, but 11% are also planning to leverage their mobile device as a payment method.

The first of the top three advertiser trends in the 3^rd Q is increasing their investment in interactive mobile video advertising to drive brand awareness. From Q2 2011 to Q3 2011, the number of campaigns utilizing Watch Video as a Post-Click Campaign Action increased 78%, from 18% to 32%.

Second advertisers bought on a national scale to drive consumers to local retail outlets to complete their purchase. When in stores, consumers used mobile sites and apps that enabled them to conduct on-the-spot research, like comparing item prices and reading product reviews.

During the summertime months, brands further utilized mobile as a mass media solution to reach audiences at scale, while also delivering timely and relevant advertisements for popular seasonal destinations.

Campaign Targeting and Targeted Audience Mix:

• Broad Reach targeting methods (Run of Network, Custom Subnet and Channel) represented 55% of the Campaign Targeting Mix in Q3.
• Local Market targeting experienced a 50% increase quarter-over-quarter and represented 66% of the Campaign Targeting Mix in Q3. Advertisers in the Finance and Travel verticals leveraged Local Market targeting to increase awareness of local bank branches and summer travel destinations.
• Behavioral & Demographic targeting represented 34% of the Targeted Audience Mix in Q3. Alcoholic beverage brands used Demographic targeting to reach customers who are over 21, while automotive advertisers utilized Behavioral targeting to reach customers who have previously engagement with their brand.

Campaign Engagement Methods, Q3 Insights:

• Application Download grew 22% quarter-over-quarter and represented 28% of the Campaign Destination Mix. As Smartphone adoption continues to increase and Tablets gain popularity, advertisers are creating applications that have all the functionality available on their website with a simple, easy-to-use navigation
• Watch Video experienced a 78% increase quarter-over-quarter, with 32% of the Post-Click Campaign Action Mix. Entertainment, Telecommunications, and CPG advertisers utilized Watch Video as a post-click campaign action to engage customers and create awareness of new movie releases and new product launches
• View Map grew 27% quarter-over-quarter as a Post-Click Campaign Action. Retail and Telecom brands leveraged mobile in Q3 to promote seasonal sales and drive customers to retail outlets to complete their purchase
• mCommerce grew 17% quarter-over-quarter and represented 14% of the Campaign Destination Mix in Q3. Entertainment and Retail brands used mobile campaigns to drive mobile purchases of movie tickets, DVD purchases, clothing, shoes, and accessories 

Please visit MillennialMedia here to access the full report.