Openwave systems, maker of the popular Openwave Mobile Analytics solution, published a study recently that outlined the latest key trends in mobile Internet usage in the US. While some of the findings aren’t anything new, some trends are beginning to emerge that are key to the future mobile marketing.
Derived from data pulled from its mobile analytical solution, Openwave was able to identify strong growth areas in niches like mobile-based classified advertising, location-based content and advertising, and of course, strong growth when it comes to mobile social networking- no surprise there.
It was interesting to me that classified advertising has become so prevalent, so quickly. The study found that Craigslist ranked number 7 within the top 10 search terms on Google, suggesting a trend towards mobile classifieds for jobs, housing, bargain priced goods and services during the current economic downturn. It’s hard to tell whether the economy is the driving force behind a simple spike in mobile classifieds, or if it’s truly a long-term trend that will materialize. If you ask me, mobile classifieds will be an important sector in mobile marketing in the near future, especially as location-aware technology spreads.
As for current mobile advertising trends, the study pointed out that while AdMob served the most ads (nearly 7 times more than the nearest competitor), it also had the lower click through rate in comparison to BuzzCity and Microsoft. AdMob’s lower CTR seems to be the result of too many generic ads that are not targeted or relevant to the subscriber. What this shows is that the landscape of mobile marketing is slowly changing, and the targeting aspect of any campaign remains of the utmost importance.
The location-aware aspect of today’s mobile devices will be the driving force behind mobile campaign targeting before long. The study shows that mobile marketing taking into account a person’s whereabouts at any given time is growing rapidly, and while AdMob may be the leader in serving up advertisements, it doesn’t mean a thing if the ads don’t produce.
