Mobile advertising up dramatically

According to a new report from Millennial Media, which offers up a major mobile ad network, 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, six different verticals grew over 140% YOY.

Just look at the consumer growth in 2011 alone. This chart, below, from Prosper Technologies which uses BigResearch’s Consumer Intentions & Actions (CIA) Survey, shows the growth of 18+, Males and Females that own Smartphones–up to October, 2011:

Own Smartphone (Oct ’11)

Finance was the top US advertising vertical on their network. Entertainment and Retail/Restaurants were in the second and third spots, respectively. Entertainment was the top International advertising vertical. 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% YOY, 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 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.

More highlights from Q3:
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.

RBR-TVBR observation:  Broadcasters can no longer shy away or put off until another day the digital side of your business – all broadcasters must engage and develop their local web portals to be competitive or you will continue to see your businesses shrink in level of consumer importance.