Mobile Advertising on a High : Mobile ad revenue would reach $3.5 Billion worldwide this year

The opinion that mobile advertising would be bigger than internet advertising had a few doubters, but day by day the number of converts is on the rise. A recent research by Informa Telecoms & Media has left few qualms in the minds of doubters by finding that the mobile ad revenue would reach $3.5 Billion worldwide this year.On a still brighter side, the research predicts that Apple and Google, the pillars of mobile advertising, will give in their best to ensure that the total mobile revenue, including in-app advertisements, undergoes a whopping eightfold increase to $24 Billion by 2015.

Statistics show that the search queries on Google have increased 500% from 2008 to 2010. This translates to companies becoming very serious about mobile advertising, which is way past its ‘experimental phase’. Unprecedented success in Apple iAds has prompted rivals to pull up their socks and foray into mobile advertising. Google’s acquisition in 2009, AdMob, is turning to be a key factor in Google’s mobile revenue and is touted to bring in about $1 Billion for the company by the end of this year.

Large investments in the mobile advertising industry can be expected in the next 12 to 18 months, as brands and companies have come to realize the importance of this new medium. These investments will prove to be the impetus needed for this industry to flourish. Big players will continue to focus on new and innovative vistas and integrating the same in their business models.

As far as recent moves in this field, RIM has introduced a new advertising service for its own Blackberry phones. RIM is trying to move out of its stereotypical corporate look and appeal the tech savvy youth. For developers, this is just another platform for them to choose. Google also recently launched interactive video ads via AdMob. Developers can have interactive ads in built into their apps.

Apart from app developers, this industry has given birth to small companies that act as a bridge between the developers and big companies. These intermediary services make it easier for app developers to increase their footfall. It is also expected that companies like Google and Apple will make it easier for developers to come out with new apps and the payment attached.

Now, if you were a developer, which platform would you choose? The attractive options are Apple and Google Android. In terms of sheer numbers, apps on the iOS platform outnumber the ones on Android. But Android being open source and slowly but steadily increasing its presence in the global market, it won’t be long before the Android overtakes the iOS. As far as monetizing apps, being a developer for RIM at the moment could also be fruitful as they would be launching new initiatives to attract app developers. But in the long run, creating apps for Android would be the safe bet.

With the astronomical prices that telecom operators paid for 3G in India, they could count on advertisers to help them make money. There is no denying the fact that the ‘e’ age has given way to the ‘m’ age.

The boom is just at the nascent stage

(Press Release)