The future of mobile advertising is in your hands

There is no doubt that there has been a radical shift in 2012 with regards to mobile. In Australia, mobile consumption usage has reached a tipping point, with the rising penetration of smartphones and publishers and brands realising that in order to deliver an optimal digital user experience, they need to evolve their screen strategy to meet ever demanding user expectations. The Australian Online General and Mobile Advertising Market report, released by Frost and Sullivan in October, predicts a strong growth in the Australian mobile advertising market over the next five years. In the June 2012 IAB Online Advertising Expenditure report also showed healthy increases in mobile advertising spend, growing 212% vs 2011. This presents a great outlook for the industry but what does this really mean for Australian marketers now? According to our latest Australian media consumption research, there is a huge amount of opportunity for marketers to invest in mobile as consumers become more mobile savvy and if you want to get a good head start, now is the time. This year, mobile consumption overtook the internet with mobile web users spending more time consuming media on their smartphones than on their computer. Of the 7.5 hours of media time each day, mobile makes up 100 minutes - significantly more than the 93 minutes spent on a computer. Two out of five Australians also now identify mobile as their primary or exclusive means of going online. With mobiles becoming more easy to use, having more functionality and always being there, it is now our go-to device. The last year has also seen a significant growth in M-commerce, with 70 per cent of Australians spending money on an activity via mobile, an 11 per cent increase from February. M-commerce behaviour is also extending past digital goods, and now includes financial and physical goods. 30 per cent of Australians have purchased physical goods, like electronics and clothes, via their mobile in the last year, presenting a new gold mine for retailers. With more people using and spending money on mobile, mobile advertising acceptance is also at an all time high. 54 per cent of Australians are now just as comfortable with mobile advertising as they are with TV or online advertising. Mobile advertising is also starting to have a far greater impact on Australians purchasing decisions, with 65% of Australians saying that mobile advertising introduced them to something new, driving the underlying awareness metrics in the purchase funnel that is so critical for many brands. Overall, if expenditure predications hold true and marketers embrace mobile, as they should, next year we will see the mobile advertising market almost double in Australia, again. We can't wait. Considering our mobile consumption research, mobile will truly become the single channel that is integrated into every media channel execution.