Global mobile ad revenues rose to $31.9bn (£20.4bn) in 2014, up 64.8 percent year-on-year.

Thats according to figures from the IAB, in partnership with IHS Technology, which found that 44.9 per cent ($14.3bn) of spend on the channel came from North America, which also saw the highest growth of any region, at 76.8 per cent year-on-year.

At $11.6bn, Asia-Pacific was the second biggest spender on mobile, accounting for 36.5 per cent of the global total, followed by Europe ($5.3bn, 16.6 per cent). Far beyond those three regions are Middle East and Africa ($379m, 1.2 per cent) and Latin America ($239m, 0.8 per cent) – though these two saw the second and third largest growth, at 68.5 per cent and 66.1 per cent respectively.

The report also breaks down global spend by format, with display leading the pack with $15.1bn, 47.4 per cent of total mobile spend, with search close behind with $14.7bn, a 46.1 per cent share. That left just 6.6 per cent for messaging, which brought in $2.1bn and saw the slowest growth of any format at 13 per cent year-on-year. For comparison, display – which grew the most – increased 88.1 per cent over the same period.

“Mobile devices are at the center of consumers’ lives across the globe and these numbers reflect brands’ increasing recognition that this medium holds great power,” said Anna Bager, Senior Vice President, IAB and General Manager, IAB Mobile Marketing Center and Digital Video Centers of Excellence. “Now is the time for the industry to coalesce on standards and guidelines to build even more momentum for mobile marketing around the world.”
“The Global Mobile Advertising revenue numbers demonstrate the strength of mobile both in Europe and globally and help us to understand the scale and opportunity it brings to digital as a marketing platform,” said Townsend Feehan, CEO, IAB Europe. “It’s important that advertisers, agencies and publishers fully understand consumer behavior as the differences between the devices diminish and the potential for engagement with digital content grows. IAB Europe continues to invest in research, education and training and the development of business standards to support digital growth.”