Mobile Ad Spend Up Big Around the World

According to a recent article in eMarketer, mobile ad spending around the world more than doubled to $8.41 billion in 2012. (eMarketer’s data is based on display and search only.  It does not include SMS and MMS.  It does include ad spending on tablets.)

Mobile’s rapid growth is clearly being reflected at events. We are seeing an increasing number of mobile executions by event organizers and related stakeholders across multiple event verticals: trade shows, festivals, concerts, etc. and multiple mobile channels and technologies, including: NFC, SMS, MMS, QR codes, mobile web sites, mobile email and mobile apps.

The breadth of use cases is also expanding from NFC/RFID ticketing at Wakestock in the UK to on-site marketing via tablets by exhibitors at the Paris Motor Show, attendee promotion via SMS and MMS by MobileCON in San Diego and QR Codes enhancing exhibitor – attendee engagement at Hong Kong Fashion Week.

Organizers are clearly embracing mobile, especially cross-media executions i.e. combining mobile with other media such as print ads, direct mail, etc.  Check out the results from a survey we conducted during our mobile marketing session at IAEE’s Expo! Expo! last month for some interesting insights into mobile marketing in the exhibition industry.

Perhaps more important than anything else you do in making your mobile marketing better for 2013 will be this: understand your audience’s mobile media habits. Without that, not much else matters!

Posted on January 16, 2013