Global Mobile Marketing on the Growth Track

A lot is happening in the mobile marketing industry, with acquisitions and consolidations happening within the industry and more of them expected. Analyst firm Berg Insight forecasts that the total value of the global mobile marketing and advertising market will grow from € 2.6 billion in 2010 to € 17.2 billion in 2016. That means growth at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 37 percent.

Mobile advertising is digital media exposed on a mobile handset screen. The definition is significant considering digital convergence at its high.

The popularity of smartphones and the increasing availability of mobile media that can include mobile advertising are the main game changers, according to Rickard Andersson, Telecom Analyst at Berg Insight. A common strategy is to increasingly integrate mobile components in traditional media campaigns.

Andersson said brands are now progressively embracing the mobile channel, including the entire range of apps from games and entertainment to utility applications. Also, mobile web advertising and opt-in SMS campaigns are popular.

Advertisers are also keen on exploring opportunities with location-based advertising making marketing messages hyper-relevant both in time and place.

There is more. The mobile marketing value chain is still developing and there are a large number of players dedicated to different activities related to mobile advertising.

Major players related to mobile advertising are battling it out for market share in the mobile ad space. Traditional digital players, major mobile OS providers such as Google, Microsoft, Apple and Yahoo and even Facebook, by leveraging user data for targeted mobile campaigns, could be playing key roles in the space.

There is a lot more to come.