Overwhelming Marketer Interest in Mobile but Concerns Exist over Measurement / ROI.

A joint study by the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) and MediaVest, revealed a staggering 96 percent of marketers currently use or are planning to incorporate mobile marketing into their marketing mix, with 85 percent reporting an intent to raise their mobile budgets in the near future.

At the same time, results indicate the need for further progress in ROI measurement and accountability with 21 percent of marketers stating that they have been solidly successful in mobile – a slight decrease from a similar 2010 study.

“Mobile is a huge opportunity for marketers – territory that has yet to be fully tapped,’”said Bob Liodice, ANA President and CEO. “Brands are clearly excited about the possibilities, but at the same time, perceived success rates have not increased significantly. The industry as a whole must move quickly to standardize measurement practices and address privacy issues.”

“There is no doubt that Mobile is a powerful vehicle for creating deep experiences with consumers. It has transcended beyond a connection and convergence device. Mobile is not just changing consumer behavior; it is impacting business through customer service, eCommerce, awareness and more. The potential is huge,” said MediaVest CEO Brian Terkelsen. “At MediaVest, we are investing in new partnerships and technologies to help us continue to add value to our clients in the mobile space because marketers will clearly be using it as a vital part of their planning in 2013.”

Success, Benefits and Barriers

Marketers reported that their most common objectives in mobile include brand building / management (83 percent), awareness (78 percent) and customer loyalty / retention (74 percent). However, with only half (53 percent) reporting success in mobile, it is clear that marketers are still developing a clear understanding of how to use it.

The top three draws of mobile include the following:

– Reach with unique audiences (85 percent)
– Ability to deliver content on-the-go (80 percent)
– Location awareness (78 percent)

Perhaps the most apparent barrier to the development of marketers’ use of mobile is measurement. Forty-two percent of marketers indicated that they are concerned with having proper mobile metrics in place, and another 42 percent are concerned with an inability to prove ROI.

“Industry leaders have been pressing hard for advertising metrics and measurements,” continued Liodice. “Initiatives such as 3MS (Making Measurement Make Sense) need to be a priority as these will provide the groundwork for more accurate, efficient and in-depth mobile measurement.”

Mobile Strategies and Other Insights

The survey indicated several additional mobile strategy and measurement preferences and intentions that reveal noteworthy trends in mobile marketing, such as:

– The most often used tactics include mobile websites (84 percent), search (78 percent), apps (76 percent) and display (75 percent)
– More marketers plan to start using location-based services (28 percent) in the future than any other mobile tactic
– Most funding for mobile is reallocated from other marketing budgets, such as traditional (37 percent) and digital (26 percent) marketing

Methodology

The survey was conducted online during the fourth quarter of 2012 among a sample of 68 client-side marketers who are currently using or planning to use mobile media initiatives to reach consumers. Respondents were drawn from the membership of the ANA. Only firms that are currently involved in mobile marketing or are planning to get involved in mobile marketing were allowed to participate in the survey.

For more information at http://www.ana.net>