Mobile ad spend soars in 2012

The mobile promise in advertising is becoming the mobile certainty. Mobile ad spending in the U.S. is on track this year to exceed 2011 numbers by almost 100 percent. The research firm eMarketer forecasts mobile ad spend in the U.S. will reach $2.3 billion in 2012, up from $1.17 billion in 2011. That growth will catapult the U.S. to the top of the worldwide list in mobile ad spending for the first time. Forecasters also predict that the U.S. mobile ad spend will grow to nearly $6.1 billion by 2014 and to more than $10.3 billion by 2016. eMarketer’s Clark Fredricksen tells GigaOm’s Ki Mae Heussner, “The big underlying reason is that smartphone growth and mobile Internet usage is growing very quickly in the U.S. and you’re starting to see a tipping point where a majority of people are starting to use smartphones…or mobile Internet. That’s causing a lot of interest from advertisers.”

Total mobile ad spending worldwide is expected to reach $6.4 billion in 2012 and forecasters are predicting that number to grow to nearly $14 billion by 2014 and to $23.6 billion by 2016. Japan has traditionally led in the mobile ad spending department. In 2011, Japan hit $1.37 billion and in 2012, it’s predicted to grow (to $1.74 billion), but still not enough to catch up to the U.S. The eMarketer report notes, however, that “Mobile advertising is more mature in Japan, which means growth is far lower than in markets in North America.”

• U.S. to top the world in mobile ad spending for the first time (GigaOm)

• Mobile Ad Spending To Hit $6.4 Billion Globally In 2012 (BusinessInsider)

• U.S. Poised to Spend More on Mobile Advertising Than Japan (New York Times)

• The US Will Spend Almost 100% More On Mobile Ads In 2012 Than In 2011—Here’s Today’s Ad Brief (BusinessInsider)

• US on Track to Become Top Mobile Ad Market (eMarketer)