Tablet Ad Spend To Outpace Mobile Phone Marketing Volumes Around Christmas

Mobile marketing firm M&C Saatchi Mobile projects that this Christmas will see brands’ advertising spend on tablet-based campaigns exceeding the traditionally higher investments in mobile handset marketing for the first time.

This morning we came across an article in Mobile Entertainment, which claims that experts expect a 25% surge in tablet advertising volumes, meaning that retailers need to ensure their websites are adapted for tablets. According to estimates by the firm, tablet advertising spend in the UK and US over the past six months provided for a conversion rate that was four times higher than for mobile phones. When adverts are provided directly to the brand’s particular target audience, the rate even zooms to between five and six times higher.

Integration of advertising with location-based services can be found in less than 10% of companies’ marketing initiatives since tablet shoppers tend to surf when sitting comfortably on the sofa. The increasing popularity of smaller-screen tablets, however, is soon expected to make a difference and make geo-targeting extremely powerful.

According to M&C Saatchi Mobile’s chief executive James Hilton, since the launch of the iPad, brands and advertising agencies have been seeking to figure out the potential benefits. Its impact has exceeded even the highest expectations, with the effects most likely to keep impressing from Christmas onwards in view of the current and upcoming releases of new, cheaper devices. Tablets are giving brands the opportunity to deliver rich and interactive content, which makes their campaigns more creative and ensures great experience for users, he added.