Mobile Ad $$$ to Surpass $1B in 2011

Mobile ad spending will pass the $1 billion mile marker next year, according to a recently-published study by digital marketing publication eMarketer.

According to “Mobile Advertising and Marketing: Moving Past the Tipping Point,” US mobile ad spending will increase 79 over 2009 to reach $743 million. That growth will slow -- but remain in the double-digit rates -- as spending hits over $1.1 billion in 2011 and more than $2.5 billion by 2014.

“The expansion of the smartphone market and the attractive usage and demographic profile of smartphone owners have forced more marketers to pay closer attention to mobile,” said Noah Elkin, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the study.

Mobile video, display, and search ad spending will all more than double this year, according to the study, while growth in messaging advertising will lag behind other mobile formats.

For now, SMS text messaging is still the largest format, with spending of $327 million estimated for 2010. But the growth of other types of ads, driven by increasing smartphone usage, new ad formats, and ad networks, will soon put more complex multimedia ahead of text advertising.

“It is safe to say that many marketers who had not previously considered mobile advertising are now eager to tap into its potential, thanks to the stamp of legitimacy applied to the medium by the high-profile entrance of companies such as Apple and Google,” Elkin added.