How do consumers feel about advertising on mobile phones? Not good, unless it lowers their cell phone bill. According to Paul Kultgen, director of mobile advertising at the Nielsen Co., only about 9%
of people think advertising on cell phones is acceptable, but that number swells to 31% if advertising lowers their bill. "We're at a tipping point," Kultgen proclaimed during a presentation at the
Billboard Mobile Entertainment Live conference. "The best days for mobile ads are in front of us."
Other studies back up his theory. Local Mobile Search recently found that 43% of people
interviewed were open to receiving "offers or deals" on their phones as long as they could select the merchants. "This shows a great deal of possibility around mobile advertising," said Local Mobile
Search senior analyst Greg Sterling. "A lot of surveys have been done that show that people are just not really interested in mobile advertising. But if you give people assurances that they have some
measure of control, then they become much more interested."
Both Kultgen and Sterling said that as consumers become more accustomed to the mobile Web and other features on smartphones, they
will gradually embrace advertising, too.
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