Mobile Web Advertising

For a long time, there was great speculation about formal advertising on the mobile web, but now advertising over mobile phones and devices is not only common, but also has guidelines set in place by the Mobile Marketing Association. The initial guidelines were released by the MMA in 2005 and the latest release in December 2007 marks an increased interest in mobile advertising that will only continue to grow as the world of handhelds expands.

A Growing Trend
Mobile handheld technology is a growing trend all over the world, but especially in well industrialized countries. In North America, 10% of mobile users use the phones for gaming, browsing and sending messages. Most users are between the ages of 25 and 34 and have plenty of disposable income. In Europe, the number of users is considerably higher making mobile web advertising a very lucrative and growing field for marketers.

Buying Time Online
Buying ads on the mobile web is a bit different than buying ads online. You’ll still need to create a graphic banner ad, but the size of the mobile screen must be taken into consideration. The ads are sold through mobile ad networks or directly from the mobile internet websites. Rates for placing ads on the mobile web fluctuate greatly but will continue to rise steadily due to ever increasing numbers of users on the mobile web.

Creating a Mobile Web Ad
The mobile web has one very distinct limitation. The screen for your ads fluctuates with the brand and model of each mobile phone. When creating an ad, you must optimize your banner to fit the screen of the viewing phone as well as possible. Doing so lets viewers read your ad more effectively and gives you a bit more creativity when it comes to design. To facilitate the number of phone screen sizes, most mobile ad networks will ask for multiple versions of your banner to support the range.

Why Mobile Advertising?
There are more than a few reasons mobile web advertising is gaining so rapidly in popularity. Mobile phones are highly personal and are always with the user. Ringtones, downloads and other customization features show us that phones are a reflection of the owners and that incoming messages and advertisements are especially meaningful – especially if they are targeted to each user.

The style of ads is varied not just in size, but in possibilities, too. You can have a simple graphic advertisement or something more complex. Ads might invite the mobile customer to click through to a website or survey. Your ad can also be tied to email read on mobile devices opening up unlimited marketing opportunities.

But perhaps the best thing about mobile advertising is the lack of competition. When you advertise on the mobile web, your ad is the only one on the screen at a given time. Unlike AdWords or banners on websites that can be overly saturated with keywords and graphics, the mobile web interface is simple, easy to read and highly personal. What better medium could a marketer want?