Mobile ad spend ‘even bigger than previously realised’

Mobile advertising spending in the UK is at even higher levels than previously thought, according to the latest data.

Expenditure on mobile advertising reached a total of £28.6 million in the UK in 2008 – almost double the figure for the previous year, a joint study from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown.

It revealed that mobile display advertising accounted for £14.2 million of last year’s total mobile spend, while paid-for search advertising on the mobile web accounted for £14.4 million.

Those behind the study suggest there are a number of key drivers behind the surge in spending, including a larger mobile audience than ever, which in turn is being propelled by the popularity of social networking.

“Over the past 12 months the marketplace has been buzzing with anticipation about this exciting new channel. Now is the perfect time for brands to dip their toes in the water,” said Guy Phillipson, chief executive of the IAB.

Windsor Holden, principal analyst at Juniper Research, last month stated that marketing professionals are devoting increasing chunks of their budgets to mobile advertising.