European mobile ad marketplace Adfonic believes that 2011 will be a step change for mobile advertising, driven by the growth in smartphones and tablets along with exciting new mobile marketing opportunities for brands and agencies. Here, Paul Childs, Chief Operations Officer at Adfonic gives his Top 10 predictions for the New Year.
Location, location, location
2011 will see a rapid increase in location-based advertising with new inventory and applications from local search to small businesses creating their own mobile web presence
Tablet wars
With smartphones and tablets such as the iPad and Samsung Galaxy at the top of this year’s Christmas wish lists, brands will start to specifically target these high-value mobile platforms as part of the marketing mix.
Android comes of age
By 2012 Android will be the leading mobile OS in the world bringing with it a vast new inventory for advertisers.
M-sites make a comeback
With the focus on apps, mobile sites took a back seat in 2010; but as brands realise that they can’t build apps for every mobile platform, the focus will shift back to creating a mobile web site presence and web-based apps.
M-commerce
Customers will increasingly use their mobiles for in-store browsing to check price comparison sites and make purchases on the spot using a growing range of mobile payment options.
Targeting people rather than platforms
Instead of targeting advertising simply by platform such as iPhone/ iPad or Android, brands will take a more personal approach using factors such as age, location, demographics, lifestyle etc.
Social media goes mobile
It has already started with the likes of Facebook Places but there will be a rush for social media services that are designed for users on the move, creating exciting new advertising opportunities.
The right mindset
Savvy advertisers will understand the best times of day and locations to reach their target audiences – when they are in the right state of mind and most receptive. The growth in evening browsing opens up new opportunities at a time of day when online and TV advertising is on the decline.
Convergence
With larger mobile screens advertisers will re-use creative material designed for desktop laptop devices, for mobile platforms.
More mobile video
The increase in mobile video and TV applications will drive more advertising opportunities to support these popular new services
“There are a lot of factors coming together that will make 2011 an exciting one for brands and agencies that recognize the opportunities presented by mobile,” says Paul Childs.
“The new generation of powerful smartphones and tablets along with ubiquitous 3/4G and Wi-fi will help the industry achieve the growth that has been promised the last few years. This combined with more location based applications and services that appeal to users on the move, mean 2012 will truly see the industry come of age. “
Having launched just over a year ago, Adfonic already has over 2,000 publishers within its network generating earnings from a pool of 3,000 live ad campaigns including major advertiser brands such as Yell.com, Peugeot and Sky.
The number of ad impressions served through its network is set to reach two billion per month over the next quarter.
Source: http://adfonic.com
