Mobile

Few small businesses have joined the mobile world, but that doesn’t mean small-business owners (SBOs) aren’t glued to their phones. In fact, it’s the opposite, based on recent research by Manta.

Mobile is a big problem when it comes to viewability measurement. That’s one finding from the Media Rating Council’s (MRC’s) third iteration of desktop viewable-impression reconciliation testing.

BuzzCity shares findings from its latest quarterly research into the digital consumption habits of mobile users around the world. The report benchmarks findings from those in 2014 to analyse the changing trends and usage habits of today’s connected consumers.

For the last nine to 10 years, pundits proclaimed this (whatever year it was) was the “year of mobile.”. I’m here to tell you very clearly that the year of mobile has come and gone and most of us didn’t even notice it. The fact is, mobile is no longer a stand-alone concept.  “Cross-channel” is the new mobile, and companies solely focused on mobile as a vehicle are having a rough time.  

Maren Lau is the CMO at IMS Internet Media Services, a digital marketing and communications company that helps brands enter and grow in the Latin America digital market. She spoke with eMarketer’s Daiane Bobka about the biggest digital trends in the region.

Mexico will be home to 65.1 million internet users—equivalent to 53.8% of its population—in 2015, a 9.4% year-over-year expansion, eMarketer estimates.

June has hit full-stride, and so has the summer music festival season. The Governors Ball in New York City got the month started, with Drake’s super tight pants almost breaking the Internet, which was quickly followed by Bonnaroo. The Firefly Music Festival kicks off this Thursday, and the Warped Tour begins its four-month stretch this week as well.

Tecate Light debuted the latest chapter of its “Born Bold” campaign in the form of the short film, “One Bold Night.”  Delivered in four easy-to-watch 60-second episodes, the new films depict the iconic Tecate Light Black Eagle experiencing an epic night from gritty, basement boxing match to penthouse party, all shot from the point-of-view (POV) of a friend’s mobile phone.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released “Madison Avenue Meets Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley: Building Collaboration Between Creativity and Technology,” a whitepaper that crystallizes insights and advice that emerged during high-level, West and East Coast IAB summits. They brought some of the biggest names in the technology, publishing, agency, venture capital and marketing communities together to discuss and debate how best to bridge the gap between creativity and technology in order to build better, more sustainable consumer advertising experiences.

I believe advertising has missed the greatest gift we’ve ever been given: the smartphone.

Tracking users and results across screens was an even bigger issue. Fewer than three in 10 marketers used cross-channel tracking or visitor stitching (identifying the same user across desktop/apps as a single user) for mobile marketing.

The US consumer packaged goods (CPG) and consumer products industry will spend $2.33 billion on mobile advertising this year, representing 47.0% of digital ad spending in the industry, eMarketer estimates.

Contrary to popular opinion, mobile screens are regularly being tapped for streaming longer-form video, according to “Mobile Video Usage: A Global Perspective,” a new comprehensive survey of consumers from 24 countries around the world who watch smartphone video, published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Actually, you probably will. Here we are, a good ten years or more into the social media era, and apparently we still can’t figure out whether social media advertising actually accomplishes anything, and if so, what.

Digital ad spending in the US will total $58.61 billion this year, and retailers’ ad outlays will comprise 22.0% of that figure, or $12.91 billion—by far outpacing all other industries—according to new figures from eMarketer.

Mobile technology has dramatically changed the way consumers access the Internet, and naturally, advertisers are following suit. Mobile and desktop ad spending are headed in two different directions, with mobile ad spend expected to pass desktop by next year and nearly double it by 2017.

Our viewing patterns are shifting and can now watch where we want, when we want. The explosion of devices has given us more access to content and brands than ever before. While the television is still the screen of choice for viewing video content, device proliferation and social-media interaction is shifting the power from the provider to the people.  By Tony Boyte, Research Director

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released “The Changing TV Experience: Attitudes and Usage Across Multiple Screens,” an in-depth study that explores new ground in the ongoing dramatic shift in consumers’ television viewing habits, and offers marketers insights into reaching audiences as connected TV ownership and multiscreening become more prevalent.

Mobile advertising can be an effective channel when done well, but similar to other channels, there are a few misconceptions. Steve Ahlberg, vice president of revenue and product management at US media conglomerate Gannett, spoke with eMarketer’s Rimma Kats about the top misconceptions of mobile advertising and where marketers and agencies are at in overcoming them.

Millennials have made smartphones a totem of their generation. Even as smartphone penetration climbs among older consumers, millennials are the ones making the most of the device’s capabilities.