Sports, News, Travel Verticals Got Serious About Mobile Ads in Q1

June 13, 2012

millennialmedia-mobile-ad-spending-growth-by-vertical-in-q12012-june2012.pngIn Q1 2012, 5 verticals experienced triple digit growth in year-over-year spending on the Millennial Media mobile network, according to [download page] the network’s June 2012 SMART report. Sports led the way with the largest increase, at an impressive 287%, followed by news, with a 261% jump. Travel experienced a 200% rise in ad spend, taking it to the third spot among the top 10 global advertising verticals. CPG/FMCG posted a 179% increase in spend, to rank as the sixth-largest advertising vertical, while health: fitness and wellness saw 111% growth.

Millennial insight indicates that sports advertisers used mobile to raise awareness of seasonal events, with campaigns geared towards increasing ticket sales and viewership. Travel advertisers used their mobile spend to target customers with post-holiday getaway ideas and travel deals aimed at upping travel sales during the off-season months.

Meanwhile, telecommunications ranked as the leading vertical by ad spend in Q1, followed by finance, travel, retail and restaurants, and entertainment.

In-Market Presence Remains Top Goal

millennialmedia-mobile-ad-campaign-goals-in-q12012-june2012.pngThe top campaign goal in Q1 2012 was sustained in-market presence, representing 31% of the campaign goal mix, unchanged from 2011 overall. Lead gen/registrations was the second-most popular mobile campaign goal of the quarter (25%). Brands focused on this goal used form submissions to gather leads and follow up with consumers regarding their products or services.

Other goals included product launch/release (17%), brand awareness (14%), increased foot traffic (10%), and site traffic (3%). In terms of brand awareness, the report notes that CPG/FCMG was one of the top verticals with this goal. Also, pharmaceutical brands targeted consumers suffering through the winter cold and flu season with educational campaigns about products that prevent or provide relief from these symptoms.

1 in 5 Campaigns Included Mobile Social Media

Mobile social media was used in 21% of the campaigns in Q1, particularly by retail and technology advertisers, who incorporated mobile social media into their campaigns to receive feedback on new fashion lines and product releases. Application download (42%) was the leading postclick action for the quarter, followed by enroll/join/subscribe (34%). Watch video accounted for 18% of the mix, with entertainment advertisers promoting new releases and auto advertisers promoting new model year releases.

Advertisers Target Auto Interest

The Millennial Media report also looks at the key behavioral audiences targeted in Q1. In-market auto intenders topped the list, followed by IT decision makers, gadget “geeks,” movie buffs, and mobile switchers.

Within the in-market auto intenders group, consumers in the research phase of the purchase process, the “auto interest” sub-category, were targeted the most (24%), via brand awareness campaigns. Other sub-categories targeted included customers further along the purchase funnel who had already identified the type of vehicle they intended to purchase. These groups included: luxury intenders (23%); SUV/MPV intenders (19%); passenger car intenders (16%); and truck intenders (16%).

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