Marketing spend hasn’t followed where the eyeballs have gone

Spending on mobile marketing is on the increase, but almost a quarter of marketers say their companies do not have a mobile strategy, while about four in 10 say the impact of mobile is not understood by senior management.

A survey of 252 marketers conducted by O2 Media and the Marketing Institute found two-thirds of marketers are shifting a portion of their budgets from traditional media to mobile, with 14 per cent securing additional money for mobile activity and 7 per cent redirecting funds from online / desktop marketing.

However, concerns linger that "marketing spend hasn't followed where the eyeballs have gone", says Fintan Lonergan, managing director of O2 Media.

In 2013, only 19 per cent of businesses had invested 10 per cent or more of their marketing budget in mobile marketing. “This is very low compared to the central role that mobile plays in consumers lives.”

O2 Media, the division of the telecoms company set up “to help brands connect with consumers”, counts Aer Lingus, Heineken, Nissan, Dunnes Stores and Ikea among its clients.

Only 7 per cent of those surveyed said they worked for “a mobile-first organisation”, while “lack of strategy” was identified as the biggest challenge for mobile marketing in Ireland.

But despite the feeling that companies aren't doing enough, three-quarters of those surveyed believe mobile marketing gives them an advantage over competitors.

Exciting development
Location-based targeting was cited as the most exciting development, and Lonergan describes it as "really encouraging" that marketers plan to increase their focus in this area.

In 2013, the most-used mobile tactics were a mobile-optimised website, social media and SMS messaging, apps and mobile display.

"There is a lot of media attention on mobile and the growth of mobile and yet very little has been known about what marketers are doing within mobile," says
Lonergan.

In the UK, mobile marketing has gone on “a hockey stick curve in the last 24 months”, he notes, citing the recent study by research firm eMarketer that found spending on mobile advertising is set to overtake print advertising in the UK market this year. “Our marketing industry is lagging behind a bit, and that’s not a criticism, it’s just a fact.”