One third of Americans with mobile phones have noticed ads on their phones in the past few months. That´s about 78 million people, not an insignificant number! This data was reported by mobile entertainment company Limbo, which teamed up with GfK NOP Research, a British marketing research company, to analyze local mobile marketing.
You can read more about the report at MediaPost Publications, but here is an interesting tidbit:
Among other key findings, the report confirmed that SMS text messaging remains the dominant non-voice service used by U.S. mobile subscribers, with 56% tapping away on phones. Mobile gaming and surfing the mobile Web were both about half that percentage, while less than 10% watch mobile TV.
Of the one-third of cell customers who have seen mobile ads, most received them via SMS or MMS text messaging. “A third of mobile phone owners saying they’ve seen advertising on their phones is significant,” said Rob Lawson, CMO at Limbo, which creates games and other mobile content. “It means the first hurdle has been crossed to reaching the mass market.”
For small businesses who are still hesitant about local mobile marketing, the proof is in the pudding. It´s time to jump in now, or you´ll quickly become a straggler as local mobile marketing starts to go through the roof. The simple fact that 78 million people are seeing and paying attention to ads on their phones lets us know that this is a marketing medium that simply won´t be going away.
