Advertising as a whole has taken a hit along with the economy recently, but surprisingly (or not) mobile marketing seems to be holding strong amidst the downturn which raises the question- by its nature, is mobile marketing largely recession-proof?
In my mind it is, only becuase of the simple fact that nearly everyone has a mobile device of some sort- whether it’s of the most simplest nature or a high-end smart phone, everyone has something these days. As long as people are still using their mobile devices, mobile marketing in general will always thrive. According to the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), there are now 267 million mobile phone users in the U.S.—up from 251 million at the end of Q4 of 2007. This means that more people in the US have a mobile phone than an Internet-connected PC.
Aside from the fact that almost every consumer now carries a mobile device of some sort, people are beginning to realize the immense amount of apps and services provided via the mobile web now-a-days. Even the most simple phones will allow a consumer to access and enjoy the mobile web- and consumers are catching on. As mobile data-usage rises, so will mobile marketing efforts.
ABI Research recently released the findings of a report that further supports the fact that the global economic downturn is not effecting the growth of mobile messaging (text and multimedia). In fact, the firm predicts that worldwide mobile messaging service revenues will grow from $151 billion in 2008 to more than $212 billion by 2013. Additionally, Nielsen’s latest measure of mobile Internet usage shows an ongoing and steady rise, recording more than 100 million unique mobile subscribers and $1.8 billion in revenues for the second quarter of 2008.