Mobile Is A Separate Channel

Research reported in Mediapost Blog

Following up on Tuesday's Research Brief about marketing budgets shifting to Interactive media, a new study from Universal McCann, reported in mediaweek.com, finds that one out of every seven minutes of media consumption today takes place via mobile devices. The study found that 80% of smart-phone users are satisfied with the quality of the Internet on their mobile devices.

19 million mobile Web users in the U.S access the Internet on a weekly basis, with mobile usage expected to grow by 60% over the next two years. According to the respondents:

  • 95% said they used mobile media to fill downtime
  • 82% said they use it at work
  • 81% while shopping
  • 80% at home
  • 65% while commuting to their jobs

The study concludes that those activities create an opportunity for marketers to transition with consumers as they move from activity to activity throughout the day. Among specific activities,

  • 73% of respondents reported searching for maps and directions
  • 55% said they participated in social networking or sought out restaurant and movie listings or reviews
  • 44% reported seeking national news and information
  • 55% of mobile users follow brands across multiple media
  • 56% said they have been driven to mobile from other media
  • 42% said they have been driven from mobile to other media

Graeme Hutton, director of consumer insights at UM, says that "Mobile is a separate channel" that allows marketers to talk to consumers wherever they go. And he notes that mobile users are surprisingly accepting of advertising, saying that:

  • 38% of respondents said they had taken action based on mobile ads
  • 30% said mobile ads had led them to share information
  • 22% said mobile ads had influenced a purchase decision

The study shows that  27% of the respondents said that they were "completely focused" when using mobile, slightly lower than the 33% who reported being completely focused when surfing the Web on computers, but higher than TV, newspapers and magazines (all less than 20%) and radio (6%).