Mobile ad firm Jumptap has announced the results of its inaugural State of Mobile Advertising survey, conducted in conjunction with DM2 Media.

The companies surveyed almost 350 mobile advertising executives, and found that mobile advertising is heading into the mainstream consciousness of brands, agencies and publishers, and that the key issues mirror those of early internet advertising adoption. The survey reveals that while advertisers are embracing mobile platforms, they still need better education, planning and measurement tools, as well as targeting technology, to help them make a success of it.

The study reveals that mobile advertising is continuing its steady growth, with nearly 85 per cent of those surveyed engaged in mobile marketing or advertising. For those with near-term mobile marketing plans, 60 per cent intend to draw their mobile budget from their current online budget. An additional 20 per cent said that mobile will be an entirely new line item. 

“These findings truly validate our beliefs about the market growth for mobile advertising,” says Jumptap CMO, Paran Johar. “However, the real insight here is the need for education and better tools and technology to capture the market potential. This is a call to action for the industry to make the process smart and simple.”

The study also found that targeting is the most important attribute for mobile advertisers, agencies and publishers when selecting a mobile advertising partner: approximately 75 per cent of mobile advertisers selected targeting as their top priority. Respondent preferences were split between price and reach: 64 per cent price and 63 per cent reach respectively.

40 per cent of respondents said they were exploring hybrid options, while the other 40 per cent of respondents were focused on cost-per-click (CPC).  And while Apple was hot in mobile last year, 64 per cent of respondents noted that Android was a significant consideration in developing and planning their mobile campaign.

Advertisers were evenly split between direct response and branding campaigns, with 51 per cent citing awareness/loyalty and 49 per cent citing customer acquisition and retention as the objective of their campaign. 62 per cent of publishers said that they participate in a mobile ad network or exchange.