Mobile marketing has room to grow

15-01-2008

by Stephen Errity

There is strong potential for growth in the area of mobile marketing in Europe, according to the latest consumer survey from the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).

The first Mobile Attitude and Usage survey found that one in ten Western European consumers were 'highly interested' in mobile marketing, while three in ten said they were 'moderately interested'. The survey's authors say that this level of interest translates to 'an overall growth opportunity' for mobile marketing.

The survey questioned just over 1,500 participants in the UK, France Spain, Italy and Germany about their interest in mobile marketing and what sort of services they would like to see made available. Italian and Spanish consumers were most enthusiastic about the concept, with over half of respondents in those countries saying they were at least 'moderately interested'.

Across all the regions surveyed, mobile-delivered coupons, text message status alerts showing account balances or other information, and mobile-exclusive sales were identified as the most appealing potential services. Fifteen percent of those surveyed had prior experience of mobile marketing efforts, with 18-34 year olds showing the highest rate of previous participation.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Richard Saggers, the MMA's European chairman (and head of mobile advertising at Vodafone) said: "This study confirms that mobile users in Western Europe already appreciate mobile marketing and have a desire to opt in to receive relevant product and services."

The MMA's president Laura Marriott added: "One in three consumers surveyed indicated that their mobile phone is highly important to them and they are very dependent on it. With consumers acknowledging their mobile is always on them, brands need to begin integrating mobile into their marketing campaigns ASAP. Clearly, mobile is proving its potential value as a marketing tool."

In a separate report, research firm JupiterResearch has indicated that beyond SMS marketing, most mobile marketing tactics are still in their infancy and will struggle to meet initial high expectations. The firm has predicated mobile search and display revenues will together reach EUR1.3 billion by 2012.

"The mobile advertising market will grow significantly over the next few years and move from its current trial stage to a more mature business where stakeholders will leverage consumers' uptake of mobile data services" said Thomas Husson, Senior Analyst at JupiterResearch.