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:
Four out of the six verticals featured in the Vertical Explosion have previously been on the Top 10 Advertising Vertical Ranking.
Top 10 U.S. Advertising Verticals (Q3 2011; Ranked by Spend) | |
Rank | Category |
1 | Finance |
2 | Entertainment |
3 | Retail & restaurants |
4 | Telecommunications |
5 | CPG |
6 | Education |
7 | Automotive |
8 | Travel |
9 | Dating |
10 | Portals & directories |
Source: Millennial Media, Q3 2011 |
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.
Vertical Explosion Year-Over-Year Spend | |
Category | Q3 2011/Q3 2010 |
Technology | 687% |
CPG | 378% |
Finance | 356% |
Retail & restaurants | 184% |
Pharmaceuticals | 163% |
Entertainment | 145% |
Source: Millennial Media, Q3 2011 |
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.
Advertisers’ Campaign Goal Mix (Q3 2011) | |
Goal | % Mix |
Sustained in-market presence | 34% |
Lead gen/registrations | 21 |
Product launch/release | 18 |
Brand awareness | 11 |
Increased foot traffic | 10 |
Site traffic | 6 |
Source: Millennial Media, Q3 2011 |
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.
Smartphone Usage Trends while Shopping (Q3 2011) | |
Trend | % of Respondents |
Search for an item to find better prices | 32% |
Search for an item to find reviews | 27 |
Scan a barcode | 26 |
Use a coupon | 23 |
Look for a coupon | 23 |
Use the store application | 20 |
Sign up for a loyalty program | 15 |
Pay for a purchase at the register | 11 |
Source: Millennial Media, Q3 2011 |
The first of the top three advertiser trends in the 3rd 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:
Campaign Engagement Methods, Q3 Insights:
Please visit MillennialMedia here to access the full report.