On average, 45pc of European consumers notice mobile phone ads and 29pc actually responded to them, new research from the Mobile Marketing Association and Lightspeed Research reveals. A third of those who respond are likely to make a purchase.
German consumers who responded to mobile adverts emerged as the most likely to go on to make a purchase, at 49pc, compared to 47pc of UK and 22pc of French consumers. Of the consumers that purchased products or services, 39pc (47pc UK, 49pc Germany and 30pc France) spent between five and 20 Euros or British Pounds.
The study asked respondents about their awareness, response and purchasing habits as a result of advertising delivered on mobile devices.
“The findings are extremely significant as they indicate a high awareness and efficacy of mobile advertising among European consumers,” said Peter Johnson, vice-president of market intelligence, MMA, and author of the study.
Last week, Google said that by 2015, the smartphone will be the No 1 screen through which users will engage with advertisers’ digital brands.
From prophesy to practice
“This latest research demonstrates that Europe’s mobile consumers have transformed mobile advertising from last year’s marketing prophecy into this year’s required marketing practice. But getting mobile advertising right requires researching the unique opportunity offered by the different mobile media. For example, an advert delivered via the under-hyped opted-in SMS turns out to be the most likely to open a consumer’s wallet.”
In the UK and France, opted-in SMS advertising proved most effective at soliciting consumer response at 40pc and 21pc, respectively. In Germany, on the other hand, an advert delivered on a website accessed on a mobile device proved to be the most effective, with 27pc of respondents stating banner adverts as preferable.
Mobile advertising that included time-sensitive special offers or discounts was cited as the most important factor leading to a purchase (35pc UK, 31pc Germany and 27pc France). Mobile coupons accessible from phones also proved to be highly popular (34pc UK, 29pc Germany and 24pc France).
In terms of the types of products or services likely to lead to a purchase, content for mobile devices, such as applications, music and games, emerged as the most popular (23pc UK, 28pc France and 19pc Germany).
Younger people emerged as the most likely to notice, respond to and purchase content or products as a result of mobile advertising.
“By delivering advertising directly into the hand of consumers, brands can engage consumers on the go, increasing the likelihood of interaction,” Ralph Risk, Lightspeed Research marketing director EMEA, said.
“The challenge for brands is to ensure that their adverts are relevant and allows consumers to easily respond,” Risk said.
