Mobile advertising is set to become a mainstay of UK marketing plans over the next two years despite a current disconnect between usage and understanding of the medium, according to the latest research from the IAB.

Tuesday, 28 October 2008

The IAB’s Mobile Council surveyed 115 agencies, media planners, creatives and advertisers and found that 62 per cent of respondents foresee mobile spend will grow over the next two years, with the medium becoming a standard feature of budgets by 2010. Respondents predicted that mobile will ‘tip’ over the next two years largely as a result of the medium’s robust and reliable audience metrics such as measurement and campaign evaluation.

Despite the positive findings, the study also indicated that there is still a strong need for industry-wide education, with 76 per cent of respondents requiring further information on the efficacy of the medium.

The research follows the IAB’s announcement last month to officially widen its remit to serve the mobile advertising industry. The five UK networks – 3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone UK – have formed a Mobile Steering Group (MSG) to oversee and advise on the trade body’s strategy to educate advertisers and agencies about the benefits of the medium.

Jim Cook, editor of MobiAdNews and chair of the IAB Mobile Council, comments: “Expectations for mobile advertising are high but actual understanding is low. The industry needs to address measurement, effectiveness and benchmarks if mobile advertising is going to reach a tipping point by 2010. The IAB intends to tackle each of these areas through quality research, events and collaboration with other mobile trade bodies like the GSMA and the MMA.”

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