67 per cent of European consumers are happy to tolerate mobile ads in return for free content, according to the results of a study carried out by mapping and mobile advertising firm, NAVTEQ. The study found that consumers placed the highest value in – and said they most often use – real-time traffic services.
“The research shows most persuasively that real-time traffic and location-based advertising is a powerful combination,” says Christopher Rothey, vice president of advertising at NAVTEQ. “For publishers, it means they can increase the stickiness of their apps with highly valued content. For advertisers, it means higher ROI when mobile ads are served within a highly valued and often used context such as traffic.”
The research found that the most valued content is traffic information, with 72 per cent saying they would use these services on a weekly basis. Next most important were area incident notification, petrol station locator, parking locator, and interactive 3D data-modelled maps of complex interior spaces, such as those that are available through NAVTEQs recently launched Destination Maps service. 
54 per cent expressed interest in receiving indoor location content in exchange for ads, according to the study. The preferred type of advertising is discount vouchers, followed by merchant information, while the preferred categories for location-based advertising in the navigation context are parking garages and petrol stations, followed by tourist information and attractions and restaurants.
The online survey sampled 1,021 mobile phone navigation and personal and in-vehicle satnav users in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
