Number of Global Mobile Ads Surged 38% in Q1 2011; Smartphones Driving Growth in Impressions in North America
The number of mobile ads served globally rose nearly 40 percent, according to BuzzCity, a mobile media company. Meanwhile, a separate report from InMobi shows that smartphones are driving the number of mobile ad impressions in North America.
According to BuzzCity, the number of ads served on the company’s ad network surged 38 percent globally to 23.2 billion ad impressions in the first quarter of 2011. This reflected record levels of both traffic and ad spending, “primarily driven by ongoing consumer demand for mobile content.”
“Consumer demand for mobile content such as games continues to grow and advertisers are taking advantage of this by, for example using pay-per download games as a key part of ad campaigns,” said Dr. KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity. “This is particularly true of certain mobile VAS players in Indonesia, South Africa, India, and Mexico.”
BuzzCity also shows that despite political tension, Egypt has shown a 144 percent increase in mobile advertising. Spain saw its mobile advertising surge 225 percent, while China experienced a 130 percent increase, and South Korea saw a 92 percent boost.
According to InMobi, its ad network served 31.9 billion mobile ad impressions in March. North America saw 5.2 billion ad impressions in March, up 21 percent from the 4.3 billion impressions it saw in December.
Smartphones accounted for 3.8 billion of these impressions in North America, up nearly 48 percent from January.
While Android is still the leading OS in North America with a 34.4 percent share of mobile ad impressions in March, iPhone gained 9.7 percentage points to finish the month with 29.2 percent, thanks to its launch on Verizon Wireless.
Recent figures from eMarketer remind marketers that the mobile game isn’t just booming in North America – it’s also growing rapidly in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China).
In 2011, mobile ad spending in China will reach $449 million, according to eMarketer. India will follow with $56.5 million, while Brazil will receive $23.8 million and Russia will receive $20 million in spending.
By 2015, eMarketer projects China to boast $1.4 billion in mobile ad spending, while India is expected to claim $247 million, Brazil $175 million and China $100 million.
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