Mobile

4G wireless service is quickly becoming the new standard in the mobile marketplace, enabling faster consumption of content on the go. New research from Nielsen found that adoption of 4G mobile phones has nearly quadrupled since last year, going from 1.4 percent in Q1 2011 to 7.6 percent in Q1 2012. Consumers under 34 are most likely to have already adopted 4G and 63 percent of teens are likely to consider switching to 4G within the next year.

With consumers increasingly turning to mobile devices to access the web, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the IAB Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence announced the launch of “Tap into Mobile,” an online hub featuring an array of resources for optimizing sites for the mobile web.

The IAB Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence in the U.S., IAB Europe and IHS Screen Digest have joined forces to size the mobile advertising market at global and regional levels. This is the first such initiative by digital advertising trade bodies. Underneath the global figure of $5.3 billion (€3.8 billion) for 2011 are regional shares of: Europe 25.9%; North America 31.4%; Latin America 3.5%; Asia-Pacific 35.9%; Middle East & Africa 3.2%.

Millennial Media, Inc. released its Q1 Mobile Mix report, the latest edition of its reliable and widely-sourced report on trends in impressions for mobile devices and mobile operating systems.

Auto shoppers have demonstrated a predilection for online research for years, and that behavior is now carrying over into the mobile sphere. A report from Mojiva, a mobile ad network that relied on analysis of its own data, along with a Q1 2012 survey, found that 69% of consumers in the US were interested in researching the purchase or lease of a vehicle using their mobile phone.

A national survey of Hispanic wireless users in the U.S. shows respondents are extremely satisfied with their wireless service, support legislation that would help protect them from paying new multiple or discriminatory taxes on their cell phone bill, are skeptical of government regulation, and widely believe that they get a high level of value out of their cell phone service.

The US is still several years away from seeing a smartphone in every pocket, but the rise of mobile and the fast adoption of smartphones have led to many consumers going everywhere with their very own direct-response tool. With the device, they use calls to action from other media to get more information—and sometimes even make a purchase—immediately, wherever they are.

Mojiva released its quarterly Mojiva Mobile Audience Guide (MAG). The latest version of the guide provides data that reveals the role mobile devices play when consumers are in the market to purchase or lease a new automobile.

The maturation of the mobile phone market has put a powerful shopping tool in the hands of an ever-growing number of consumers. And recent research shows that they are taking full advantage of it.

A recent Nielsen survey of U.S. smartphone owners who report using their mobile phones while shopping in a store, indicates that consumers use their phones differently depending on the type of store.

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced the publication of “Mobile Messaging in North America: A Fresh Look at Current Options for Marketers”. The latest whitepaper from the MMA explores the unique features of several forms of mobile messaging and shares successful examples of how marketers can leverage them to meet marketing goals. The paper also provides a window into the future evolution of mobile messaging.

In March 2012, a majority (50.4%) of U.S. mobile subscribers owned smartphones, up from 47.8 percent in December 2011. Consumers purchasing new phones picked smartphones more often, and among smartphone owners Apple was the top manufacturer of smartphone handsets, while Android was the top smartphone OS.

The rapid adoption of cell phones and, especially, the spread of internet-connected smartphones are changing people’s communications with others and their relationships with information. Users’ ability to access data immediately through apps and web browsers and through contact with their social networks is creating a new culture of real-time information seekers and problem solvers.

A newly savvy and self-reliant breed of shoppers has developed a powerful symbiosis with mobile media devices — forcing marketers and retailers to adapt, and presenting fresh opportunities for brands to engage and win over consumers.

Armed with fast, high-powered smartphones, a new class of consumers, 100 million strong and growing, is rerouting the path to purchase and redefining cultural norms in the US.

More than half of US mobile users will have a smartphone by the end of next year, and as users make the switch, their content consumption will grow to match the capabilities of their new phones. But as the audience grows, the group’s demographic composition will change, and marketers will need to keep up with new touchpoints for reaching the expanding community of smartphone users.