Research by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) found that despite increasing general awareness of mobile marketing, many UK media agencies are clueless about protecting their brand and complying to mobile telephony rules and regulations.
The study, published last month, tracked seven years of data, mainly from the UK but with more recent contributions from other European countries including Spain, Italy, France and Germany. Areas covered include general agency comprehension of mobile, average spend, client and business structure, and barriers to future growth.
Almost half of the 154 UK-based agency employees surveyed for the study said mobile now regularly forms part of client proposals, and 42% described mobile as ‘unlocking new budgets.’
But while the general understanding of mobile advertising has risen 23% in the past year, many individual media agency staff have ‘no idea’ how to comply with mobile privacy; 22% say they are just as clueless about ensuring brand safety when conducting mobile campaigns.
What does this mean for the future of mobile? Integration will be a watchword in 2015: some 78% of UK media agency employees expect mobile strategies to be integrated into their overall marketing models by the end of the year, with location-based advertising the rising star (59% of respondents said location-based advertising was ‘the most exciting mobile opportunity.’)
IAB Senior Mobile Executive Mike Reynolds said of the research:
“These studies are a great benchmarking tool for us and the wider industry to see where general mobile uptake is, as well as understand crucial barriers for both clients and agencies. It is great to see that the level of mobile understanding has increased steadily over the past six years.”
Studies like this point to a growing confidence among businesses in the power of mobile marketing. Nearly a third of all web page views in the UK are now conducted on tablets or smartphones – and those numbers are steadily rising. With adoption rates for smartphones and other mobile devices showing no signs of slowing down, it’s become a question of when, rather than if, mobile becomes the dominant channel through which UK consumers engage with brands.