Mobile advertising firm Millennial Media has released the Mobile Intel Report: Consumer Goods, the latest in its Mobile Intel series, produced in association with comScore.

The report offers an insight into how consumers are engaging with FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods)/CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) brands on mobile, and how the sector is responding to the challenge of reaching their audience.

The report reveals that in the UK, the FMCG vertical posted a 35 per cent average month-over-month growth on the Millennial Media platform in 2012. Food was the largest sub-vertical in FMCG in the UK, driving 32 per cent of advertiser spend on Millennial’s platform in 2012. This was followed by Cosmetics & Hygiene, with 26 per cent of advertiser spend within the FMCG vertical. UK campaigns utilised real-time location based marketing, store locators, post-click social media interaction and video creative, and 91 per cent of FMCG impressions in the UK came from smartphones.

Globally, on the Millennial platform, mobile ad spend in the CPG vertical grew 235 per cent year-over-year between 2011 and 2012. Beverages was the top sub-vertical in CPG, accounting for 43 per cent of campaigns on Millennial’s platform. Cosmetics & Hygiene was second, followed by Food, Household Products and Pet Products.

On a global basis, brand awareness was the leading campaign goal for CPG advertisers, and was the main objective for 46 per cent of all campaigns. Millennial notes that this was significantly higher than its platform average, where brand awareness was the top campaign goal for 14 per cent of total campaigns. Driving site traffic was the second leading goal for CPG advertisers.

44 per cent of CPG campaigns on Millennial’s platform used mobile video (compared to 16 per cent of all campaigns), while 34 per cent utilized a post-click social media action. These helped drive the top CPG campaign goal of brand awareness. 40 per cent of CPG campaigns utilized real-time, location-based targeting.

Females were more likely than males to access CPG content on their phones, and the top age group for mobile CPG content was 25 – 34. This age group was also the most active demographic for mobile grocery shoppers. 82 per cent of CPG impressions on Millennial’s platform in 2012 came from smartphones, with 18 per cent came from tablets.