1) Mobile advertising may prove more effective than internet advertising because mobile ownership far exceeds internet access globally and mobile devices provide multiple contact points like voice, text, and multimedia. 2) Mobile ads are more targeted than internet ads since mobile operators know the exact demographic information, location, and behavior of each user. 3) Research in the Czech Republic found the average success rate of mobile campaigns was 27 times higher than internet banner campaigns, attracting more attention from advertisers.

1. Why Mobile Advertising May
Prove to Be More Effective
than Internet Advertising

2. Why Mobile Advertising that half of the world’s humans now carry a mobile phone
(approaching the 4 billion mark), yet Gartner’s latest figures
May Prove to Be More put the number of installed PCs worldwide at “only” 1 billion
units — and not all of these have Internet access.2 The
Effective than Internet gap between mobile and PC ownership is even greater in
developing markets.
Advertising 2) Multiple Touchpoints Are Better Than One: Internet ads
Examining the Implications of Current Research have one way to reach users: through the Internet. Mobile
operators have a much richer menu of options to offer
Mobile Ads Are 30 Times More Effective than Internet advertisers: voice (visual voicemail, ringback tones, missed
Ads call notifications, etc.), text (SMS), multimedia (MMS),
mobile Internet, billing touchpoints, handset clients and
The headline was run by a wide range of industry more.
publications: Mobile Ads Are 30 Times More Effective than
Internet Ads. It refers to a study about advertising on mobile 3) One-on-One: Due to the one-on-one personal nature of
phones that was recently carried out in association with a the mobile communication tool, its ads are more effective in
leading operator in the Czech Republic. terms of product awareness and sales. Because messages
are intended just for the user, users generally pay more
The research, which included 22 top brand advertisers careful attention to mobile ads (e.g. text added after a
and more than 3000 users, showed that “the average notification) than they do to ads that come to a PC.
successfulness of individual SMS/MMS campaigns was
approximately 27 times higher than in the case of Internet 4) Bulls Eye — Right On Target: The unrivalled amount of
banner campaigns. Even the results of the least successful relevant information about the subscriber makes the mobile
campaign surpassed the response rate” for Czech Internet the ultimate targeting tool. Unlike the PC, the mobile phone
campaigns.1 is usually used by a single individual (as opposed to a
household on the PC) Advertisers can know exactly who the
Taking Digital Advertising to the Next Level users are in order to target ads effectively:
The Internet deserves a full measure of credit and admiration -- Demographic Info: From subscriber profile
for developing new advertising concepts and business
cases that made possible the spectrum of wonderful -- Time and Context: User, website, time, location, etc.
developments on the Web. It is with due respect and
humility, rather than arrogance, that the mobile industry -- Ongoing Profile Builder: Subscriber information
reacts to the likelihood that mobile advertising is more is accumulated from a variety of sources to one
effective than Internet advertising. unified subscriber profile
Assuming the validity and the accuracy of the referenced -- Predictive Behavior: Based on user habits,
research, the question to be addressed is: What makes preferences, history
mobile advertising more effective than Internet advertising? A
Because targeted ads are inherently more relevant, they
comprehensive answer is comprised of many components.
are more interesting; users pay more attention to them and
Our attempt at defining those reasons is below: advertisers get a higher response rate.
The Top Ten Reasons Why Mobile Advertising Is More 5) On Location: When a user is mobile, a phone in the
Effective than Internet Advertising hand is worth two PCs in a bush (to paraphrase the famous
adage). Only via a mobile phone can knowledge of the
1) Where the Users Are: Advertisers can reach many more user’s movement and changing location be utilized for
users via the mobile phone than via the PC. Globally, mobile timely offers, such as a discount at a store or at a cafe in
ownership/ usage far outstrips Internet access. It is estimated the food court as a user enters a mall. Advertising for small
1 http://www.cellular-news.com/story/38178.php 2 http://www.gizmag.com/global-pc-installed-base-passes-1-billion/9569/
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3. local businesses has a much stronger business case on the Strong Results Are Attracting the Attention of
mobile than on PCs. Advertisers
6) Trusted Billing Relationship: The confidence and high The research in the Czech Republic seems to confirm that
level of trust that the user has in the operator facilitates mobile advertising is much more effective than Internet
decisions to purchase. Whereas purchases from a PC advertising. The average mobile response rate was 2.72%.
generally require money transfer methods such as PayPal In the case of the most successful campaign, the response
or credit cards – purchases form a mobile phone can be rate reached 11.78%. The least successful mobile campaign
handled simply, quickly and automatically by means of had a response rate of 0.29%, three times higher than
familiar and trusted billing procedures. This makes users the average Internet of about 0.1% for Czech Internet
much more likely to act on their impulse to buy through their campaigns.4
handset.
The research is not conclusive and further studies are
7) Direct User Response: The interactive nature the mobile warranted. Further clear strong results for mobile advertising
phone removes barriers to responding and purchasing will continue to attract the attention – and dollars – of
through direct user response capabilities: Click to call, click to advertisers to this growing advertising domain.
SMS click to purchase...
8) Opt In: Unlike the PC experience, users opt in to
participate in mobile advertising. Whereas ads on the PC are
largely regarded as a form of span and ignored, mobile ads
are delivered only to those who request them. The way they
are regarded increases their effectiveness.
9) Triggers: Mobile ads triggered by real-time situations
(such as billing, location triggers and more) can be
highly effective in meeting immediate real-life needs and
maximizing response rates.
10) Banner Blindness and Ad Blocking – On the Internet
Only: Eye-tracking studies show that Internet users have
developed “banner blindness” and in a large number of
cases have stopped even noticing Internet banners – to say
nothing of the large number of users who utilize ad-blockers
to prevent even the appearance of ads. The nature of mobile
advertising prevents both of these phenomena, giving
mobile ads a chance to be more effective.3
3 Research: Internet Users Plagued by ‹Banner Blindness› http://www.clickz. 4 http://www.cellular-news.com/story/38178.php and http://en.t-press.cz/
com/3616001 tiskove_zpravy/2009/1000/
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