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US Mobile User Numbers, Ad Recall Climbing Steadily

Though the US lags behind the UK and India in many mobile phone usage categories, the number of US mobile phone users has grown from 251 million in 4Q07 to over 263 million in 2Q08 - up nearly 10% - according to a Limbo and GfK Technology Mobile Advertising Report.

The US also shows steady increases in the number of people who recall seeing advertising through their mobile phone, from 31% in ‘07 to 37% in 2Q.

Higher percentages of mobile phone users in the UK and India say they are receiving advertising messages through their mobile phone - 85% in India, 51% in the UK.

Though mobile phone marketing exposure is prevalent in all three countries, the mobile delivery tools vary, the second-quarter study found:

• Still, text-messaging remains the most common advertising format recalled in all three countries:

• In the case of mobile web advertising, UK users recalled it most, with 16% of respondents recalling advertising compared with 8% of those in the US and 4% of those in India.

• Radio also showed striking variation, with nearly 40% of those in India recalling advertisements through radio on their mobile phones compared with only 9% in the UK and 3% in the US.

“We’re seeing an increase in consumer awareness of a variety of mobile advertising campaigns, from text message to interactive games to mobile internet banner advertisements,” said Jonathon Linner, CEO of Limbo.

Younger males typically view mobile internet advertising the most, the study found. The brands recalled in advertising via this channel were mainly mobile carriers, handset manufacturers, media brands and digital entertainment companies.

“With enhanced handsets and flat rate data tariffs increasingly common, it is only a matter of time before mobile internet advertising starts to rival the penetration of SMS or text message marketing,” said Colin Strong, head of mobile communications research at GfK Technology.

About the study: The Limbo-GfK Technology Mobile Advertising Report is produced quarterly and is distributed free to marketers. The Q2 report is based on a survey of 1,000 representative American adults, 1,000 UK adults interviewed by telephone, and 1,000 Indian adults interviewed by intercept.