Global mobile ad buyers are planning to double their spend on mobile this year, with 90% of agency trading desks using demand-side platforms to buy inventory, compared with 49% last year, according to a new survey.
Real time bidding platform Rubicon Project has researched the global mobile advertising market during January and February, 2014.
Representing the views of some of the leading agency trading desks around the world, the second annual Rubicon Project Mobile Buyer Survey 2014 and infographic are published this week (see below).
The research reveals that whilst investment in mobile advertising represented an average of 7% of total agency trading desk spend in 2013, agency buyers anticipate it will more than double to account for 16% of total ad spend in 2014. In addition, 95% of the buyers surveyed intend to purchase, or have already purchased, inventory via mobile private marketplaces in 2014.
Agency trading desk buyers expect mobile spending will be split across in-app inventory (36%), mobile-optimised sites (31%) and standard web formats delivered to tablet devices (33%) in 2014. Standard advertising formats are most in demand followed by rich media and expandable formats, then video formats.
When asked how they buy mobile inventory, 90% said they use demand side platforms (DSPs) compared with just 49% of respondents when Rubicon Project surveyed the market this time last year. 38% said they use ad networks (up from 30% in 2013), and 36% buy directly from the publisher (up from 22% in 2013).
In terms of the metrics buyers use to measure mobile campaigns, cost per action (CPA) or cost per install (CPI) metrics were most popular (69%), alongside clickthrough rates (CTR – also 69%). However, slightly more than a quarter (26%) optimise for reach.
Jay Stevens, General Manager, International, Rubicon Project, explains, “The Rubicon Project Mobile Buyer Survey offers a valuable, up-to-date overview of the state of mobile advertising. Mobile buyers have told us they plan to double their spend in 2014 when compared to the survey results from 2013. Additionally, we’re seeing increasingly sophisticated methods of buying with most buyers surveyed establishing private marketplaces, or planning to do so, and many using data in their campaigns.”
Josh Wexler, Head of Buyer Cloud, Rubicon Project continues, “We’ve seen a big step up in mobile buying around the world. 59% of the agency trading desks we spoke to are seeing demand for rich media in mobile and 54% for mobile video. Added to this, a quarter of buyers are measuring their campaigns by reach, rather than DR metrics, all of which point to an increase in brand spend via mobile advertising.”
The infographic, Mobile Advertising Automation in 2014, the Buyer View is available to view at: http://bit.ly/mwc-mobile-research.
The accompanying research report, Rubicon Project Mobile Buyer Survey 2014, can be downloaded at http://go.rubiconproject.com/MWCResearchReport.html (registration required)