• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, May 5, 2008

With only about 20% of online advertisers dabbling in mobile marketing, most are still content sticking with the wired Web.

Holding marketers back from mobile are a number of factors including consumer reticence, limited reach, insufficient measurement and a simple lack of familiarity with the medium, according to a new study by JupiterResearch.

But the firm advises marketers to begin experimenting before mobile becomes a more established ad platform. In terms of campaigns, that means looking first to text-based ads, since text messaging is the most common mobile data activity with 51% adoption.

Jupiter also recommends tactics including mobile banner ads, coupons, short codes, multimedia message services (MMS) and video spots.

When it comes to buying media, advertisers should consider prominent mobile sites such as those of ESPN, The Weather Channel and USA Today, as well as placement on wireless carriers' decks. With 4% of cell phone customers using mobile search, search sites should be in the mix as well. Integrating mobile with broader campaigns spanning the Internet, TV, radio and print is also smart.

As a portable medium, mobile also offers marketers unique opportunities for location-based targeting. Jupiter points to recent developments such as Nokia's acquisition of digital mapmaker Navteq as a step toward increased geo-targeting.

"Combined with Nokia's purchase of the mobile ad-serving technology platform Enpocket, location will be melded at the device level," according to Jupiter's mobile marketing report.

Among similar efforts, CBS Mobile earlier this year began offering advertisers the ability to target ads based on specific locations through a partnership with social mapping service Loopt.

Looking further ahead, idle-screen advertising also holds promise. Just like it sounds, the format places coupons, promotions and other content on user's mobile screens while they're idle. With the initial launch of idle-screen ads on regional carrier Revol, the format could spread to major U.S. carriers if it catches on with consumers.

An important caveat with regard to idle-screen ads and other targeted mobile marketing campaigns is privacy. Because cell phones typically aren't shared, they are naturally perceived as more personal devices than computers or TVs.

"If a marketing message reaches a cell phone, the recipient is more than likely the owner," states the report. "Gaining access to this phone through an opt-in process holds great value for marketers." Otherwise, mobile users will not respond well to getting spammed.

Despite tougher economic conditions this year, Jupiter analyst Neil Strother doesn't expect marketers to cut mobile budgets much, if at all. Mainly, that's because they're already so small--estimated at just 1% of online advertisers' spending. "So there's not as much financial risk, and brands that have no mobile experience can ease in to find out how things work," Strother said.