US on Track to Become Top Mobile Ad Market

Spending on mobile internet advertising in the US will top all other countries in the world for the first time this year, helping drive mobile ad spending worldwide above $6.43 billion in 2012, according to eMarketer’s first-ever forecast for worldwide mobile advertising spending.

Until this year, Japan was the world’s largest market for mobile advertising, with spending reaching nearly $1.37 billion in 2011, up from $1.01 billion in 2010.

Mobile advertising is more mature in Japan, which means growth is far lower than in markets in North America. eMarketer estimates spending on mobile internet ads in Japan will grow 27.2% to $1.74 billion in 2012, versus 35.4% growth in 2011.

Mobile internet advertising spending in the US, by comparison, will grow 96.6% to $2.29 billion in 2012, up from $1.16 billion last year, according to eMarketer. As a result of this rapid growth, North America is also poised to surpass Asia-Pacific in 2013 as the world’s largest regional market for mobile advertising.

Asia-Pacific is still an exceptionally strong mobile advertising market, particularly in South Korea and Japan, keeping it ahead of Europe in mobile spending through 2014. Mobile ad spending in Asia-Pacific will pass $2.56 billion in 2012, according to eMarketer, while mobile advertising spending in Western Europe and Eastern Europe will reach $1.3 billion and $121.1 million, respectively, this year.

Mobile is an exciting, fast-growing category, but it’s still a very small piece of the overall ad pie. Mobile advertising accounted for less than 1% of total ad spending worldwide last year—and it will be a long time before it challenges other mainstay global advertising channels like TV, print and internet ads.

For more information at http://www.emarketer.com