Criterion Global: International Media Buying Blog

A recent ComScore Mobile webinar, called Wired: Connecting to the Mobile Marketing Revolution, reviewed data that show mobile phones are no longer used simply for their voice capabilities, even though less than half (49%) of mobile devices are compatible with mobile media platforms (only 12% of which are classified as smart phones, such as iPhones and BlackBerrys). Overall,

• Talk time accounts for 1/3 of cell phones usage
• Text messaging (or SMS) and mobile media account for 2/3 of mobile activity.

For several years now, advertisers have predicted the coming revolution of mobile advertising without actually seeing much of a change. This was partially attributable to technology and bandwidth capacity, which has only recently been able to support complex media. This evolution toward increased multimedia activity in mobile use evidenced by the comScore data will only increase as both phones and service plans decrease in price and become accessible to an even wider audience.

Marketers, who were outpaced by the improvement of mobile technology, now foresee the many benefits of mobile marketing: primarily the ability to target the desired audience through both user history and geographic location. Marketers must quickly learn how to reach to the growing mobile audience, and capitalize on these new patterns in usage. Navigating privacy issues will be an obvious concern, as it was at the advent of behavioural marketing online, but this does little to dampen marketers’ hopes for this new marketing medium.

For more information on media buying on mobile platforms, contact Criterion Global international media buying.