• Automotive
• Business
• Consumer Services
• Consumer Products & Retail
• Financial
• Healthcare
• Media
• Social Research
• Technology
  • What we do
  • Latest Thinking
  • TechTalk: our international technology magazine
  • Who to contact

Consumers and mobile marketing

A high proportion of consumers are experiencing marketing via their mobile phone, according to recent research conducted by GfK Technology in the UK, India and the US (conducted jointly with Limbo). Mobile marketing in India leads by a high margin.

Percentage of mobile phone users exposed to advertising via mobile phone (click on the image on the left to enlarge view).
 

In the UK and US, much of the marketing was by SMS, typically sent to consumers by their network operator. Whilst this is even more pronounced in India, there is also a high volume of marketing experienced while making phone calls or listening to the radio via their mobile phone (67% of those interviewed in India listened to the radio using their mobile).
 

Percentage of mobile phone users seeing marketing by channel (click on the image on the left to enlarge view).

Mobile internet advertising is relatively low incidence compared to other forms of mobile marketing; this is mainly due to by the comparatively low (but growing) proportion of consumers using their handsets for mobile internet. Of the group that do access mobile internet, there are substantial differences in the level of exposure to advertising, with UK consumers having much greater exposure.

Percentage of mobile users accessing mobile internet & percentage exposed to advertising (click on the image on the left to enlarge view):

Unsurprisingly, mobile internet advertising is typically viewed by younger, more predominantly male group. The brands that were recalled advertising via this channel were mainly network operators but other types of brands included, in the US for example,  handset manufacturers (mainly Nokia), media brands (mainly Sky and The Sun) and digital entertainment (including Facebook, Electronic Arts, Jamster and iTunes). However, a wide variety of other categories were also represented, including retail, FMCG, gaming, gambling and alcohol.

Colin Strong, head of Mobile Comms research at GfK Technology says "These findings indicate the degree to which the mobile phone is used as a marketing channel. With enhanced handsets and flat rate data tariffs becoming increasingly common, it is only a matter of time before mobile internet advertising starts to rival the penetration of SMS marketing.”

GfK NOP have a summary report available on this study; please let us know if you would like to receive a copy by contacting colin.strong@gfk.com

About the survey

The survey was conducted by GfK Technology with around 1000 interviews in each market. The study was conducted using online panels in the UK, face-to-face in India and by the US.