Mobile ad spending in the U.S. will grow from $790 million in 2010 to $4 billion in 2015, forecasts BIA/Kelsey, and the local piece of mobile will grow from $404 million to $2.8 billion in that same period. That bodes well for TV stations as they work to get mobile DTV up and running.
Locally targeted ads are 51% of overall mobile spending, compared to national ads. The local side will grow to 70% by 2015, says BIA/Kelsey.
Local media includes television, radio, newspapers, Yellow Pages and online/interactive. The mobile ad revenue growth drivers are smartphone penetration, mobile Web usage and related increases in ad inventory, says BIA.
"Revenues will grow from not only ad volume, but also premiums placed on location-targeted ads," said Michael Boland, senior analyst and program director of BIA/Kelsey's Mobile Local Media division. "These premiums result from higher performance for locally targeted mobile ads when compared with non-local ads, due to higher relevance, immediacy and consumer buying intent, all of which are more prevalent in mobile than many other print and digital media."
