Mobile ads prove successful in Europe

LONDON: Increasing numbers of consumers in France, Germany and the UK are responding to mobile advertising, a new survey has revealed.

The Mobile Marketing Association, the industry body, and Lightspeed Research polled 3,000 adults to assess current habits and preferences.

In all, 45% of participants agreed they had noticed mobile ads, and 29% of this audience stated these messages influenced their behaviour in some way.

After interacting with a mobile ad, 39% of this latter group went on to make a purchase, reaching 49% in Germany and 47% in the UK, measured against 22% in France.

When buying products via this route, 49% of Germans and 30% of French shoppers spent between €5 ($7; £4) and €20, while 47% of their British counterparts splashed out an equivalent amount in pounds.

Opt-in SMS advertising generated the highest response rates in the UK and France, on 40% and 21% respectively.

However, mobile internet banner ads assumed such a role in Germany, with a score of 27% on the same metric.

Commercial communications incorporating time-sensitive special offers or discounts were most effective for encouraging purchase, hitting 35% in the UK, 31% in Germany and 24% in France.

Vouchers accessible through wireless handsets also proved successful, posting 34% in the UK, 29% among the German panel and 24% for their peers in France.

Content specifically for mobile devices - such as apps, music and games - saw shoppers complete transactions with the greatest degree of frequency, averaging out at 23% across the featured countries.

"Europe's mobile consumers have transformed mobile advertising from last year's marketing prophecy into this year's required marketing practice," said Peter A Johnson, vp, market intelligence, MMA

"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."

Data sourced from Mobile Marketing Association; additional content by Warc staff, 8 October 2010

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