58 Million U.S. Mobile Subscribers Have Seen Advertising Over Their Phones

28 million subscribers, half of those who recall seeing mobile advertising,
say they responded to at least one mobile advertisement
SAN FRANCISCO, March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-three percent (58
million) of all U.S. mobile subscribers say they've been exposed to
advertising on their phones in the past 30 days, according to a new report
out today from The Nielsen Company. Half (51% or 28 million) of all data
users who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous 30 days say they
responded to a mobile ad in some way.
The findings come from the bi-annual Mobile Advertising Report from
Nielsen Mobile, a service of The Nielsen Company, and are based on a survey
of more than 22,000 active mobile data users who used at least one
non-voice mobile service in the fourth quarter. In the report, Nielsen
examines consumer recall, responses and attitudes toward banner ads on
mobile web pages, SMS text-message advertising, sponsored applications,
video advertising and other types of advertising that reach consumers while
using data applications on their mobile phones.
The study further reveals that
-- The number of data users who recalled seeing mobile advertising between
the second and fourth quarters of 2007 increased 38% (from 42 to 58
million subscribers)
-- Teen data users (ages 13-17) were the most likely age segment to recall
seeing mobile advertising (46% recalled seeing some type of mobile
advertisement, compared to 29% of all data users)
-- Asian-Americans and African-Americans are more likely to recall mobile
advertising (42% and 40%, respectively) than all data users
-- 26% of those who saw an ad responded at least once by sending an SMS
text-message, the most popular ad response. 9% say they've used
click-to-call to respond to a mobile ad, where users follow a link on
their phone to call a specific number
-- 32% of data users said they are open to mobile advertising if it lowers
their overall bill
-- 13% (18% of males) said they are open to mobile advertising if it
improves the media and content currently available
-- 14% said they are already open to mobile advertising so long as it is
relevant to their interests
-- 23% expect to see more mobile advertising in the future (up from just
15% in Q1 2007)
While media companies and marketers explore the unique ways they can
interact with consumers over the highly personal mobile platform,
supporting mobile media content through advertising revenues, advertising
researchers must examine the ways in which audiences are and are not
willing to engage with mobile advertising.
"Increasing levels of consumer recall, interaction and receptivity to
mobile advertising reinforce the validity of the mobile marketing medium,"
said Jeff Herrmann, VP of Mobile Media at Nielsen Mobile. "Nielsen's Mobile
Advertising Report helps marketers and media companies better understand
consumer interaction and the available response mechanisms to drive
conversion."
Nielsen's report provides specific insights on consumer perception of
mobile advertising. While just 10% of data users said they think
advertising on their mobile devices is acceptable, an increasing number of
mobile users appear to understand the value proposition of ad-supported
mobile content.
"We see an increasing trend of consumers willing to trade off and
receive advertising to gain more -- and better -- mobile content," said
Herrmann. "Successful mobile marketers will meet the challenge offered by
consumers by engaging with them in a way that adds value to the mobile user
content experience."