October 7, 2010
29% of European Mobile Consumers Respond to Mobile Adverts They See
MMA-Lightspeed Research Reveals Strong Consumer Awareness and Potential of Mobile Advertising
London, Paris and Berlin: 6th October, 2010 - The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) and research partner, Lightspeed Research (www.lightspeedresearch.com), today released results of its latest UK, French and German Mobile Consumer Briefing investigating exposure and response to mobile advertising. The research shows that, on average, 45% of consumers noticed mobile advertising and of these, 29% responded to it. The research also showed that once people have responded to a mobile advert over a third (39%) continued on to make a purchase. German consumers who responded to mobile adverts emerged as the most likely to go on to make a purchase, at 49%, compared to 47% of UK and 22% of French consumers. Of the consumers that purchased products or services, 39% (47% UK, 49% Germany and 30% France) spent between 5 and 20 Euros or British Pounds.
The study asked respondents about their awareness, response and purchasing habits as a result of advertising delivered on mobile devices. Other key findings included:
- In the UK and France, opted-in SMS advertising proved most effective at soliciting consumer response at 40% and 21% respectively. In Germany on the other hand, an advert delivered on a website accessed on a mobile device proved to be the most effective, with 27% of respondents stating banner adverts as preferable.
- Mobile advertising that included time sensitive special offers or discounts was cited as the most important factor leading to a purchase (35% UK, 31% Germany and 27% France). Mobile coupons accessible from phones also proved to be highly popular (34% UK, 29% Germany and 24% France).
- In terms of the types of products or services likely to lead to a purchase, content for mobile devices such as applications, music and games emerged as the most popular (23% UK, 28% France and 19% Germany).
- Younger people emerged as the most likely to notice, respond and purchase content or products as a result of mobile advertising.
“The findings are extremely significant as they indicate a high awareness and efficacy of mobile advertising among European consumers,” said Peter A. Johnson, vice president of market intelligence, MMA, and author of the study. “This latest research demonstrates that Europe’s mobile consumers have transformed mobile advertising from last year’s marketing prophecy into this year’s required marketing practice. But getting mobile advertising right requires researching the unique opportunity offered by the different mobile media. For example, an advert delivered via the under-hyped opted-in SMS turns out to be the most likely to open a consumer’s wallet.”
“These findings are made even more interesting when viewed in conjunction with our previous research demonstrating that a quarter of Europeans were likely to respond to advertising if a mobile response mechanism was included,” stated Ralph Risk, Lightspeed Research Marketing Director EMEA. “By delivering advertising directly into the hand of consumers, brands can engage consumers on the go, increasing the likelihood of interaction. The challenge for brands is to ensure that their adverts are relevant and allows consumers to easily respond”
Editor’s notes:
Conducted from August 20th-24th 2010, the research surveyed respondents in the UK, Germany and France who owned a mobile phone about their experience to adverts delivered to their phone and how they responded. The survey covered exposure to adverts delivered to their mobile phone, response activity to adverts, the type of medium where adverts were noticed, types of products or services advertised, purchase behaviour, spend and preference for ad content.
A monthly online survey of British, French and German consumers’ mobile marketing behaviours and opinions conducted on the Lightspeed Research omnibus, the MMA Mobile Consumer Briefing features input from 1,000 adult consumers in each market, screened to be demographically representative of the adult consumer population as a whole. Each Consumer Briefing includes a 2- to 3-page executive summary, all survey questions and up to 50 tables of detailed results. Survey responses are provided both in aggregate and in cross-tabulation by standard audience demographics, such as age, gender and income, as well as wireless carrier and handset manufacturer.
MMA Mobile Consumer Briefings on this topic are also available for the US market. To learn more about the MMA’s market research benefits, visit the MMA’s Research Home Page.
About the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade association representing all players in the mobile marketing value chain. With more than 700 member companies, the MMA is an action-oriented organization with global focus, regional actions and local relevance. The MMA’s primary focus is to establish mobile as an indispensible part of the marketing mix. The MMA works to promote, educate, measure, guide and protect the mobile marketing industry worldwide. The MMA’s global headquarters are located in the United States and it has regional chapters including North America (NA), Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America (LATAM and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com.
About Lightspeed Research
Lightspeed Research delivers valuable data to help clients make informed business decisions. With proprietary online panels throughout the world, our verified, engaged, and deeply profiled survey respondents can support research studies that vary in scope and complexity. Lightspeed Research’s expert Client Operations Team offers data collection services including survey design, sample management, programming, and reporting. The company has offices throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Lightspeed Research is part of Kantar, the information insight and consultancy division of WPP. For more information, please visit www.lightspeedresearch.com
