• by Sean Hargrave , Staff Writer, October 17, 2017

So we got there. The rise of mobile and the entirely related rise of online video have gone from strength to strength -- and now, for the first time, mobile accounts for more than half of all ad spend on digital display -- or 57%, to be precise. At the same time, online video spend has now overtaken digital display.  

Regular readers will remember that yesterday I pointed out that mobile wasn't punching above its weight, and today's figures from IAB UK and PwC support this. Although mobile accounts for a little over half of internet consumption, according to Zenith, it was only at 35% of all digital ad spending last year, and has risen to 43% in the first half of 2017.

A new channel that accounts for more than half of internet consumption takes up less than half of all budget. There's only one way that's going to go, isn't there?

Among all the figures usefully published by IAB UK today, there is one that truly stands out against others. Banner ads grew by just 2% in the first half of 2017. While mobile accounted for more than half of all display, it only accounts for around a third of banner ads. So it's clear to see that banners are flat-lining and mobile and video are not coming to the rescue as much as they are with other forms of display.

Interestingly, when you look at the new proverbial kids on the block -- video and native and content -- mobile accounts for 70% and 77%, respectively. While video has now overtaken banners in spend size, native is not far behind. If it continues to growth while banners flatline, it can only be a year or two until content and native overtake it.

All this is leading us to a very clear point. As we complete the shift to a mobile-first world, banners will be increasingly left behind. Advertisers want to be noticed without getting in the way, so it's not a surprise to see that native and video are showing huge growth. 

Add content and native to this and it is very clear that the focus is now being a part of the message on mobile screens, preferably with the power of video to convey a message. 

Display is holding steady, but only because it is being supported by huge mobile and video growth. Where that is not evident -- and banners, this means you -- stagnation is the unavoidable result. 

The focus is the message on the main part of the small screen and which medium people are switching to, not the slither of branded messaging that appears at the top of the screen and is all too easily ignored --  or, even worse, just gets in the way.