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Mobile marketing poised for growth
11-03-2008
by Deirdre McArdle

Some 20 percent of Irish consumers regularly access the internet from their mobiles, according to research from Return2Sender.

The mobile marketing firm's survey reveals an interest among Irish consumers in MMS, SMS and mobile internet services and, by extension, mobile marketing and advertising. According to the research some 33 percent of respondents said they have sent a text replying to an advertising campaign.

Perhaps the most surprising finding of the survey was that over 60 percent of Irish consumers are using multimedia messaging (MMS). This messaging format, which facilitates picture and video messaging, has taken a while to achieve popularity, although arguably this could have been down to a lack of content or services focused on the format in the past. As mobile marketing gains traction, usage of MMS looks likely to grow.

A survey conducted on mobile marketing in Europe by the Mobile Marketing Association in January 2008 indicated the growing popularity of the sector, with one in ten consumers questioned saying they were "highly interested" in receiving marketing messages via their mobile.

Meanwhile, Return2Sender's research also revealed that around 50 percent of consumers were willing to receive marketing messages as part of a loyalty scheme, where they would receive rewards such as call credit and ringtones. Donald Douglas, managing director, Return2Sender believes a large number of consumers are happy enough to get ads on their mobile if they get something in return.

In saying that, Douglas revealed that content providers aren't really making the effort to create targeted content for consumers. The firm's research shows that over half of consumers cited lack of interest in mobile internet services or said they had no need to use them. Douglas suggests this means there's a gap in the market for firms to fill with "great mobile campaigns".

According to ComReg's quarterly report from December 2007 Ireland has a mobile penetration rate of 114 percent, which represents a market of around 4.9 million mobile subscriptions. These figures highlight the opportunity that exists for the mobile marketing sector in Ireland, according to Douglas.