*Smartphone Adoption Shifts Dynamics of Mobile Marketing Toward Web/App Ads*
LONDON, UK, 17 November, 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from its 
comScore MobiLens service showing that mobile marketing in the EU5 countries UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy reached 100 million mobile phone subscribers via SMS ads. Conversely, more than 57 million subscribers recalled seeing an ad on their mobile phone when browsing the internet or accessing an application. Smartphone owners accounted for more than half of the subscribers who received and recalled seeing Web/App ads.
Almost Half of European Mobile Users Received Advertising via SMS
Across the EU5 countries, SMS ads reached 43.6 percent of the 230.5 million mobile users in September 2010, while Web/App ads were seen and recalled by nearly a quarter of the total mobile audience. The most common type of SMS advert recalled was product, service or brand information, which more than 60 million mobile phone owners received, equalling a 26.3 percent reach across the EU5 countries.
SMS ads for donations to charities and non-profit organisations reached 9.7 million people and 11.6 percent of subscribers that received this type of SMS responded at least once during the three month average ending in September 2010. Coupons or discounts sent via SMS followed with a 10.3 percent response rate. Out of the 33.4 million people who received an SMS that promoted a contest, 7.3 percent responded. While SMS advertising about products, services or brands had the largest reach, the response rate was the lowest at 5.7 percent.
| EU5 Mobile Advertising 3 Month Average Ending September 2010 Total EU5 (UK, DE, FR, ES and IT), Age 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens |
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| Target Audience (000) | % Reach | Responded to SMS Ads* (%) | |
| Total Audience: 13+ yrs old | 230,500 | 100.0% | N/A |
| Recall seeing Web/App Ads** | 57,264 | 24.8% | N/A |
| Received SMS Ads | 100,456 | 43.6% | N/A |
| Received info about product/service/brand SMS Ads | 60,665 | 26.3% | 5.7% |
| Received contest SMS Ads | 33,369 | 14.5% | 7.3% |
| Received coupon or discount SMS Ads | 20,520 | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| Received donation to charity/non-profit SMS Ads | 9,672 | 4.2% | 11.6% |
*Responded by replying to the text message, clicking on a link to a website that was in the text message or calling a telephone number that was included in the text message at least once during the three month average.
**Web/App Ads include all ads (banner ads or advertising text links) on websites that were visited using the web browser on a mobile phone or were in applications that are installed on the mobile phone
Smartphone Users Twice as Likely to See Web/App Advertising
In September 2010, 24.8 percent of all mobile users in the EU5 countries (UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy) recalled seeing ads within an app or when browsing online via their mobile device. Smartphone users were twice as likely to be exposed to mobile advertising as the average mobile subscriber, with 50 percent of all 64.3 million smartphone users recalled seeing a web or app ad. The UK topped the ranking with nearly two out of three smartphone users having recalled seeing an ad while browsing or using an app, followed by French smartphone owners, of which more than half saw a web or app ad.
| Recall Seeing Web/App Ads by Country 3 Month Average Ending September 2010 Total EU5 (UK, DE, FR, ES and IT), Age 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens |
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| Share of Mobile Subscribers Who Recall Seeing Web/App Ads | Share of Smartphone Owners Who Recall Seeing Web/App Ads | |
| EU5 | 24.8 % | 50.0 % |
| United Kingdom | 32.0 % | 62.7 % |
| Italy | 24.9 % | 41.9 % |
| France | 23.6 % | 54.5 % |
| Germany | 20.3 % | 48.0 % |
| Spain | 23.5 % | 43.3 % |
“While the majority of mobile adverts are still effectively distributed via SMS and good response rates indicate acceptance among mobile phone owners, the growing smartphone adoption across all EU5 countries continues to enable the emergence of richer mobile advertising,” said comScore’s European VP Mobile, Jeremy Copp. “Mobile web and app ads increase the possibilities of accessing prime audiences and provide advertisers with additional marketing opportunities beyond traditional mobile techniques.”
European Mobile Content Usage
The table below includes a review of mobile consumption behaviours and content usage in September 2010 for five EU countries. These benchmark data are published by comScore on a monthly basis to provide the most up-to-date snapshot of the mobile industry.
In September 2010, 82.1 percent of EU5 mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device, while applications (excluding pre-installed games) were used by 26.2 percent and browsers by 27.7 percent of subscribers. More than one quarter (25.2 percent) of European mobile phone owners listened to music on their mobile phone, while 16.7 percent accessed social networking sites or blogs. 38.2 percent of the EU5 mobile audience accessed news and information and 24.9 percent played games. 30.2 percent of mobile subscribers across the five European countries own a smartphone.
| Mobile Content Usage for the European Market 3 Month Average Ending September 2010 Total EU5 (UK, DE, FR, ES and IT), Age 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens |
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| Reach (%) of Mobile Subscribers | ||||||
| EU5 | U.K. | France | Germany | Italy | Spain | |
| Sent text message to another phone | 82.1% | 90.3% | 81.8% | 79.8% | 77.7% | 80.8% |
| Used application [excluding native games] | 26.2% | 32.9% | 22.8% | 23.1% | 26.8% | 25.4% |
| Used browser | 27.7% | 38.1% | 28.2% | 21.1% | 25.8% | 25.1% |
| Listened to music on mobile phone | 25.2% | 24.1% | 22.6% | 26.2% | 23.2% | 31.1% |
| Accessed Social Networking Site or Blog | 16.7% | 25.8% | 16.4% | 9.8% | 16.6% | 14.8% |
| Accessed news and information | 38.2% | 37.1% | 31.4% | 24.1% | 34.4% | 28.8% |
| Played Games | 24.9% | 30.4% | 14.1% | 24.1% | 29.2% | 26.8% |
| Smartphone | 30.2% | 28.5% | 22.6% | 21.4% | 34.4% | 32.9% |
*Source: comScore